'The  morning  dawned  upon  us  without  a  prospect  of  hope." 

FRONTISPIECE 


THE 

SWISS  FAMILY 
ROBINSON 

Or  Adventures  in  a  Desert  Land 


By 
JEAN  RUDOLPH  WYSS 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  Publishers 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 


PRINTED   IN  THE   UNITED   STATES 


URL 
SRLF 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

Storm-tossed— Wrecked— Deserted— Supper— We  make  swimming- 
belts  for  the  children — An  anxious  night — The  gale  moderates 
— We  examine  our  cargo— Jack  introduces  two  new  acquain- 
tances— How  shall  we  get  on  shore  ? — Jack's  plan — We  adopt 
it — The  use  of  a  lever — Our  tub-boat  completed — Another  night 
on  the  wreck — We  collect  the  cargo — And  embark — Jack's 
friends  will  not  be  left  behind— Steer  for  the  shore — Once  more 
on  land — We  erect  a  tent — Glue  soup — Jack  makes  the  acquain- 
tance of  a  lobster — Ernest  shirks  the  water — Oysters  and  salt — 
How  sha3  we  eat  our  soup  ? — Ernest  solves  the  difficulty — 
Fritz  returns — The  sucking  pig — How  to  open  an  oyster  and 
how  to  eat  it — The  dogs  devour  the  agouti— Fritz's  anger — 
Our  first  night  in  the  new  country, 


CHAPTER  IL 

A  morning  consultation — Breakfast — Away  on  an  expedition — Over 
the  stream  and  through  the  grass — An  unexpected  reinforcement 
— Search  in  vain  for  our  comrades — Rest  by  a  stream — Fritz 
finds  a  "round  bird's-nest" — Natural  history  of  a  cocoanut— 
Calabash  trees — The  use  of  gourds — How  to  make  a  bottle — A 
lovely  but  lonely  scene — Sugar-canes — Monkeys  of  use— Cocoa- 
nut  milk  turned  to  champagne — Turk  kills  an  unfortunate 
mother  monkey — Carry  the  orphan  home — Display  our  trea- 
sures— A  sumptuous  supper — Ernest's  penguin — Champagne 
turned  to  vinegar — A  fight  with  jackals — A  curious  sentinel — 
A  visit  to  the  wreck — We  rig  our  craft — Stow  a  cargo — Sleep 
on  board — Floats  for  our  herd — We  embark— Encounter  a 
3hark — Land — Relate  our  adventures.  ...  .15 


IV  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

MM 

The  mother  relates  her  adventures  —  Proposes  that  we  should  build 
a  nest  —  How  Jack  treated  the  jackal  skin  —  How  the  boys  were 
surprised  by  a  bustard  —  How  they  found  the  mangrove  tree  — 
How  the  dogs  caught  the  crabs  —  We  discuss  the  possibility  of 
making  a  house  in  the  tree  —  To  bed  once  more  —  We  start  for 
the  wreck  —  The  shark  again  —  Return  to  land  —  Franz's  craw- 
fish —  Bridge  building  —  We  pack  up—  A  family  removing  in  pa- 
triarchal style  —  A  prickly  enemy  —  Jack  shoots  it  —  We  reach 
our  new  home  —  Fritz  rids  our  poultry  of  an  enemy  —  Little 
Franz  finds  the  figs  —  Dinner  —  We  prepare  materials  for  our 
nest  —  Flamingoes  —  Roast  and  tame  —  The  use  of  trigonometry 
—  A  cord  carried  over  the  bough  —  The  rope  ladder  made  —  We 
mount  our  tree  —  Sleep  under  the  roots  —  The  building  of  the 
aest  —  Retire  to  roost  for  the  first  time  ......  35 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A.  day  of  rest  —  A  parable  for  the  young  people  —  Quiet  recreation- 
Geographical  nomenclature—  The  margay  and  porcupine  skins 
made  of  use  —  An  expedition  to  Tentholm  —  Potatoes,  potatoes- 
Tropical  vegetation  —  The  use  of  the  karatas  —  Jack's  greediness 
and  its  punishment  —  Ernest  discovers  cochineal  —  Arrive  at  Tent- 
hohn—  The  poultry  rebellious  —  Return  to  Falconhurst—  Ernest 
roused  out  early  —  We  collect  wood  for  a  sledge  —  Master  Kuips 
turns  thief  —  Franz's  plan  for  the  saving  of  ammunition  —  Ernest 
and  I  take  the  sledge  to  Tentholm  —  Ernest's  laziness  exemplified 
—He  catches  a  salmon  —  We  start  for  home  —  Kill  a  kangaroo— 
And  cook  it.  ..........  58 


CHAPTER  V. 

Jack  and  Ernest  disappear — Fritz  and  I  start  for  the  wreck — Th* 
boys'  ambuscade — We  form  a  raft — Rau*ick  the  vessel — Again 
embark — A  turtle  in  sight — Fritz  harpoons  it — The  turtle  acts 
as  "  Steam  Tug  " — Safe  ashore — Return  home — Jack's  «lay 
field— A  fresh  discovery — The  mother's  cellar — A  trip  to  the 
wreck — The  pinnace — Jack's  raid  on  the  Lilliputians — A  secret 
revealed — A  new  method  of  grinding  flour — Wholesome  or  poi- 
aonous  ? — Bread-making  in  earnest  .  .  •  .  .  73 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VL 

PAGE 

Now  for  the  pinnace— Repeated  visits  to  the  wreck— The  pinnace 
built — How  shall  we  cut  her  out — The  difficulty  solved — We  fit 
her  out — Fire  a  salute — The  mother's  surprise — We  visit  Falcon- 
hurst — Attend  to  our  fruit  trees — Athletics — The  lasso — An 
excursion — A  bustard  captured — Ernest  discovers  a  magician — 
Jack  fights  him— The  Liane  Rouge — We  turn  carvers — Ernest's 
alarm — The  old  sow  again — We  discover  a  sleeping  beauty — 
Return  with  it  to  the  camp — Knips  pronounces  our  apples 
"good"— Return  to  Falconhurst, 86 


CHAPTER  VII 

Fritz  and  I  return  to  the  Calabash  Wood — Fritz  shoots  a  ruffed 
grouse — We  come  across  waxberry  bushes — Sociable  grosbeaks 
— Fritz  captures  a  parrot — A  lecture  on  ants — Caoutchouc  trees — 
The  sago-palm  and  the  edible  worms — Return  with  sugar-canes 
to  Falconhurst — Candle-making — How  to  make  butter  without 
a  churn — Plant  trees  and  adorn  Tentholm — Last  visit  to  the 
wreck — The  first  ducklings  on  the  island — Falconhurst  again—- 
An excursion — We  pitch  our  tent — Fritz  and  Jack  ascend  the 
cocoanut  trees — Ernest  brings  us  a  delicacy — Loss  of  Grizzle- 
Jack  and  I  go  in  pursuit — Giant  bamboos — Encounter  with 
buffaloes — The  buffalo  calf — Find  a  jackal's  lair — Reach  our 
camp — What  happened  in  our  absence — Fritz's  pet — Sago  manu- 
facture— Meet  with  our  sow  and  her  family  again — How  Ernest 
tamed  the  eagle, 101 


CHAPTER  Vin. 

Prop  our  young  trees — A  lecture  on  grafting— A  new  idea  broached 
— Why  should  we  not  build  stairs  within  the  trunk  of  our  tree  ? 
— Jack  finds  one  objection — I  make  a  beehive,  and  we  drive 
the  bees  from  the  tree — Stair-making — Additions  to  our  family 
of  domestic  annuals — The  education  of  the  "pets" — Shoemak- 
Ing — We  lead  water  from  the  stream  to  Falconhurst — A  strange 
annual  approaches — Our  old  ass  and  his  companion — The  onager 
captured — Provisioning  our  winter  quarters — Capture  of  ruffed 
grouse — We  discover  flax — The  rainy  season.  ....  120 


VI  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Spring  again — We  begin  to  hew  a  cave — Jack  makes  a  discovery — PA( 
We  drive  the  foul  air  from  the  cavern — The  mother  and  her 
boys  join  us — We  explore  the  cave — Fit  it  up  as  our  winter 
quarters — The  herring-bank — We  catch  seals — Fishing  on  a 
grand  scale — Isinglass  and  caviare — We  visit  our  plantations — 
An  expedition  to  establish  a  colony — The  building  of  "  Wood- 
lands " — Jack  and  Fritz  return  to  Falconhurst  for  provisions — 
Ernest  and  I  explore — A  "beast  with  a  bill" — We  build  a 
canoe — Franz  undertakes  the  education  of  Grumble — We  con- 
tinue our  work  at  the  cave — Carpet  making — Thanksgiving-day 
—A  startling  salute — Athletics  and  shooting — Prize  giving — 
Manufacture  of  birdlime — Fritz  and  Jack  ride  off  for  caout- 
chouc— Shoot  a  crane  and  badger — Find  "  Woodlands  "  turned 
•pside  down  by  monkeys — Discover  ginseng,  ....  133 


CHAPTER  X. 

Birdlime — A  midnight  raid — The  massacre  at  Woodlands — Cap- 
ture of  Molucca  pigeons — A  pigeon-house — Fritz  and  I  pre- 
pare a  conjuring  trick — Great  success  of  our  experiment — 
Lichen  and  nutmegs  discovered — Jack's  adventure — The  loom 
manufactured — Winter  stores  prepared — The  rainy  season  sets 
in — Interior  of  our  house  arranged — We  study  languages — The 
return  of  spring — A  stranded  whale — An  account  of  coral — We 
go  to  work  on  the  whale's  carcass — Remarks  on  the  habits  of 
the  whale, 157 

CHAPTER  XL 

I'he  blubber  of  the  whale  boiled  and  stored — A  unique  machine- 
Expedition  to  Prospect^Hill — Whale's  tongue  is  voted  no  deli- 
cacy— We  land  on  Whale  Island — Jack  discovers  a  strange 
jkeleton — Turtle  turning— Towed  ashore — The  loom  com- 
pleted—Return of  the  herring  shoals — Basket  making — We 
manufacture  a  sedan  chair — Ernest's  wild  ride  therein— A  boa 
constrictor  appears — He  retreats  to  the  marsh — Suspense — Poor 
Grizzle's  fate — An  awful  scene — Death  of  the  moaster — An  ac- 
count of  snakes — Remedies  for  poisoned  bites— Ernest  writes 
Grizzle's  epitaph— The  serpent  stuffed  and  placed  in  the  mu- 
seum, .  .  .<,„... 176 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

CHAPTER  XIL 

PAGE 

fo  examine  the  marsh — A  cave  discovered — We  find  the  floor  cov- 
ered with  fuller's  earth — Discharge  our  pistols— Jack's  fright — 
Ernest  captures  an  eel — An  expedition  toward  the  Gap — Visit 
Falconhurst  and  Woodlands  and  examine  the  country  round 
—Franz  shoots  a  capybara — Ernest  and  Knips  fight  the  rats — A 
lecture  on  musk — Cinnamon  apples — A  peccary  hunt — We  pre 
pare  the  peccary  meat — Disasters  at  Prospect  Hill — An  explor- 
ing expedition  through  the  Gap — We  find  our  barrier  broken 
down— Across  the  desert — Strange  objects  in  the  distance — An 
account  of  ostriches — An  ostrich  slain — We  discover  the  nest— 
A  mud  tortoise — We  encounter  bears — A  desperate  fight — Back 
again  to  camp — We  skin  the  bears  and  smoke  their  flesh- 
Pepper  found — Three  of  the  boys  start  on  an  expedition — I  dis- 
cover talc, ....  iQi 

CHAPTER  Xm. 

fhe  boys  return  and  give  an  account  of  their  adventures — How  they 
captured  the  antelopes— How  Fritz  caught  the  rabbits  and  Jack 
rode  down  the  gazelles— !How  they  followed  the  honey  bird  and 
Jack  tried  to  rob  the  bees'  byke — We  sup  on  the  bears'  paws — 
Across  the  desert  again— Sight  three  ostriches — The  male  bird 
captured — We  secure  him  between  Storm  and  Grumble— The 
mother's  astonishment  at  our  new  pet — Return  to  Woodland* 
— Home  again — We  establish  colonies  on  Shark  and  Whale 
Islands — Turn  our  attention  to  agriculture — The  difficulties  of 
ostrich  training— My  patent  saddle  and  bridle — I  exercise  my 
ingenuity  in  various  trades,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  212 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

i'ne  rainy  season  again — The  building  of  the  cajack — The  mothei 
invents  a  swimming  dress — A  visit  to  our  colonies — Mysteri- 
ous seaweed — The  mother's  surprise — A  visit  to  Whale  Island 
— Mischievous  pigs— The  three  boys  return  from  a  day's 
hunting — They  display  their  treasures — A  new  skinning  ap- 
paratus— We  make  a  crushing  machine — An  early  harvest — 
We  prepaiv.  a  threshing  floor — Reaping  in  Italian  fashion— 

ag  also  in  Italian  xaaUion— Return  of  the  herring  shoals,  224 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Trial  of  the  cajack— Fritz  kills  a  walrus— We  carry  home  its  head—™ 
The  storm— Where  is  Fritz  ?— Safe  at  last— The  fishing  season 
—An  expedition  proposed— Three  of  the  boys  start  for  Wood- 
lands—Pigeon post— Encounter  with  a  hyena— Wood  Lake 
explored— A  tapir— Prospect  Hill  pillaged— A  tragedy— The 
boys  in  danger— We  join  them— We  build  a  summer  house- 
Discover  the  cacao  plant— Fritz  ascends  the  stream— He  sees 
elephants  and  hippopotami — Jack's  "moist  secret" — We  return 
to  Rockburg— Grace  and  Beauty— Shark  Island  is  fortified,  .  234 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

%n  years  afterward— Our  farms  and  farmyards— Fritz  makes 
a  voyage  of  discovery— Cape  Minster  and  the  swallows'  nests 
—Pearl  oysters— A  magnificent  bay— The  strange  message— An 
excursion  to  Pearl  Bay— Fritz  proposes  to  search  for  the  stranger, 
and  prepares  his  canoe  for  her  reception— The  pearl  fishery— An, 
encounter  with  a  wild  boar— Jack's  accident— Trunles— A  mid- 
night  alarm — The  lion  and  his  mate— Our  enemies  overcome 
—Juno's  death — We  set  sail  for  Rockburg — Fritz  leaves  us,  .  250 

CHAPTER  XVH. 

funo's  epitaph— Fritz  does  not  appear— We  start  In  search  of  him 
—A  cachalot  whale — The  unexpected  appearance  of  a  savage 
—Fritz  in  a  dusky  disguise— He  leads  us  to  Fair  Isle,  and  shows 
us  the  wonders  therein— The  stranger— Fritz  narrates  his  ad- 
ventures—How he  saw  toucans — Encountered  a  tiger— Lost 
Pounce— Found  the  Smoking  Rock,  and  Jenny  Montrose— The 
history  of  the  stranger— Wolves  dispute  our  right  to  the  whale 
—Coco  joins  his  brethren— Jack  and  Jenny  search  for  the  tru- 
ant—We leave  Pearl  Bay— A  hearty  reception— A  visit  to  Fal- 
conhurst— Jack  displays  our  stud— The  rainy  season  again-  .  266 

CHAPTER  XVHI. 

Spring  and  its  accompanying  work— The  mysterious  guns— Who  fired 
them— A  storm— Fritz  and  Ireconnoiter— The  English  brig— We 
visit  her  in  the  yacht — Captain  Littlestone— We  are  cordially 
welcomed— Mr.  Wolston  and  his  family— An  earnest  consulta- 
tion—Our visitors  at  Rockburg— The  supper— Who  is  for  Europe 
and  who  for  New  Switzerland  ?— The  decision— Farewell,  .  282 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBHSOS, 


CHAPTER  I. 

Storm -tossed — Wrecked — Deserted — Supper — We  make  swimming-belto 
for  the  children — An  anxious  night — The  gale  moderates — We  ex- 
amine our  cargo — Jack  introduces  two  new  acquaintances — How 
shall  we  get  on  shore  ? — Jack's  plan — We  adopt  it — The  use  of  a 
lever — Our  tub-boat  completed — Another  night  on  the  wreck — We 
collect  the  cargo— And  embark — Jack's  friends  will  not  be  left  behind 
— Steer  for  the  shore — Once  more  on  land — We  erect  a  tent — Glue 
soup — Jack  makes  the  acquaintance  of  a  lobster — Ernest  shirks  the 
water — Oysters  and  salt — How  shall  we  eat  our  soup  ? — Ernest 
solves  the  difficulty — Fritz  returns — The  sucking  pig — How  to  open 
an  oyster  and  how  to  eat  it — The  dogs  devour  the  agouti— Fritz's 
anger — Our  first  night  ia  the  new  country. 

FOE  many  days  we  had  been  tempest-tossed.  Six  times  had 
the  darkness  closed  over  a  wild  and  terrific  scene,  and  return- 
ing light  as  often  brought  but  renewed  distress,  for  the  rag- 
ing storm  increased  in  fury  until  on  the  seventh  day  all  hope 
was  lost. 

We  were  driven  completely  out  of  our  course;  no  conjecture 
could  be  formed  as  to  our  whereabouts.  The  crew  had  lost 
heart,  and  were  utterly  exhausted  by  incessant  labor. 

The  riven  masts  had  gone  by  the  board,  leaks  had  been 
sprung  in  every  direction,  and  the  water,  which  rushed  in, 
gained  upon  us  rapidly. 

Instead  of  reckless  oaths,  the  seamen  now  uttered  frantic 
cries  to  God  for  mercy,  mingled  with  strange  and  often  ludi- 
crous vows,  to  be  performed  should  deliverance  be  granted. 

Every  man  on  board  alternately  commended  hia  soul  to  his 
Creator,  and  strove  to  bethink  himself  of  some  means  of  sav- 
ing his  life. 

My  heart  sank  as  I  looked  round  upon  my  family  in  the 
midst  of  these  horrors.  Our  four  young  sons  were  over- 
powered by  terror.  "  Dear  children, "  said  I,  "  if  the  Lord 


•  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

will,  he  can  save  us  even  from  this  fearful  peril;  if  not,  let  us 
calmly  yield  our  lives  into  his  hand,  and  think  of  the  joy  and 
blessedness  of  finding  ourselves  forever  and  ever  united  in 
that  happy  home  above. " 

At  these  words  my  weeping  wife  looked  bravely  up,  and,  as 
the  boys  clustered  round  her,  she  began  to  cheer  and  en- 
courage them  with  calm  and  loving  words.  I  rejoiced  to  see 
her  fortitude,  though  my  heart  was  ready  to  break  as  I  gazed 
on  my  dear  ones. 

We  knelt  down  together,  one  after  arother  praying  with 
deep  earnestness  and  emotion.  Fritz,  in  particular,  besought 
help  and  deliverance  for  his  dear  parents  and  brothers,  as 
though  quite  forgetting  himself. 

Our  hearts  were  soothed  by  the  never-failing  comfort  of 
child-like,  confiding  prayer,  and  the  horror  of  our  situation 
seemed  less  overwhelming.  "  Ah,"  thought  I,  "  the  Lord  will 
hear  our  prayer  !  He  will  help  us. " 

Amid  the  roar  of  the  thundering  waves  I  suddenly  heard 
the  cry  of  "  Land,  land  !  "  while  at  the  same  instant  the  ship 
struck  with  a  frightful  shock,  which  threw  everyone  to  the 
deck,  and  seemed  to  threaten  her  immediate  destruction. 

Dreadful  sounds  betokened  the  breaking  up  of  the  ship,  and 
the  roaring  waters  poured  in  on  all  sides : 

Then  the  voice  of  the  captain  was  heard  above  the  tumult, 
shouting,  "Lower  away  the  boats !  We  are  lost !  " 

"  Lost !  "  I  exclaimed,  and  the  word  went  like  a  dagger  to 
my  heart ;  but  seeing  my  children's  terror  renewed,  I  composed 
myself,  calling  out  cheerfully,  "  Take  courage,  my  boys !  we 
are  all  above  water  yet.  There  is  the  land  not  far  off  ;  let  us 
do  our  best  to  reach  it.  You  know  God  helps  those  that  help 
themselves  ! "  With  that,  I  left  them  and  went  on  deck. 
What  was  my  horror  when  through  the  foam  and  spray  I  be- 
held the  only  remaining  boat  leave  the  ship,  the  last  of  the  sea- 
men spring  into  her  and  push  off,  regardless  of  my  cries  and 
entreaties  that  we  might  be  allowed  to  share  their  slender1 
chance  of  preserving  their  lives.  My  voice  was  drowned  in 
the  howling  of  the  blast ;  and  even  had  the  crew  wished  it, 
the  return  of  the  boat  was  impossible. 

Casting  my  eyes  despairingly  around,  I  became  gradually 
aware  that  our  position  was  by  no  means  hopeless,  inasmuch 
ae  the  stern  of  the  ship  containing  our  cabin  was  jammed 
between  two  high  rocks,  and  was  partly  raised  from  among 
the  breakers  which  dashed  the  forepart  to  pieces.  As  the 
clouds  of  mist  and  rain  drove  past,  I  could  make  out,  through 


THB   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  8 

rents  in  the  vaporous  curtain,  a  line  of  rocky  coast,  and  rugged 
as  it  was,  my  heart  bounded  toward  it  as  a  sign  of  help  in 
the  hour  of  need.  Yet  the  sense  of  our  lonely  and  forsaken 
condition  weighed  heavily  upon  me  as  I  returned  to  my  family, 
constraining  myself  to  say  with  a  smile,  "  Courage,  dear  ones  I 
Although  our  good  ship  will  never  sail  more,  she  is  so  placed 
that  our  cabin  will  remain  above  water,  and  to-morrow,  if  the 
wind  and  waves  abate,  I  see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  be 
able  to  get  ashore." 

These  few  words  had  an  immediate  effect  on  the  spirits  of, 
my  children,  who  at  once  regarded  our  problematical  chance 
of  escaping  as  a  happy  certainty,  and  began  to  enjoy  the 
relief  from  the  violent  pitching  and  rolling  of  the  vessel. 

My  wife,  however,  perceived  my  distress  and  anxiety,  in 
spite  of  my  forced  composure,  and  I  made  her  comprehend 
our  real  situation,  greatly  fearing  the  effect  of  the  intelligence 
on  her  nerves.  Not  for  a  moment  did  her  courage  and  trust 
in  Providence  forsake  her,  and  on  seeing  this,  my  fortitude 
revived. 

"  We  must  find  some  food,  and  take  a  good  supper,"  said 
she,  "it  will  never  do  to  grow  faint  by  fasting  too  long.  We 
shall  require  our  utmost  strength  to-morrow." 

Night  drew  on  apace,  the  storm  was  as  fierce  as  ever,  and 
at  intervals  we  were  startled  by  crashes  announcing  further 
damage  to  our  unfortunate  ship. 

"  God  will  help  us  soon  now,  won't  he,  father  ?  "  said  my 
youngest  child. 

"  You  silly  little  thing,"  said  Fritz,  my  eldest  son,  sharply, 
*  don't  you  know  that  we  must  not  settle  what  God  is  to  do 
for  us  ?  We  must  have  patience  and  wait  his  time." 

"  Very  well  said,  had  it  been  said  kindly,  Fritz,  my  boy. 
You  too  often  speak  harshly  to  your  brothers,  although 
you  may  not  mean  to  do  so." 

A  good  meal  being  now  ready,  my  youngsters  ate  heartily, 
and  retiring  to  rest  were  speedily  fast  asleep.  Fritz,  who 
was  of  an  age  to  be  aware  of  the  real  danger  we  were  in, 
kept  watch  with  us.  After  a  long  silence,  "  Father,"  said  he, 
"don't  you  think  we  might  contrive  swimming  belts  for 
mother  and  the  boys  ?  with  those  we  might  all  escape  to  land, 
for  you  and  I  can  swim." 

"  Your  idea  is  so  good,"  answered  I,  "  that  I  shall  arrange 
aomething  at  once,  in  case  of  an  accident  during  the  night." 

We  immediately  searched  about  foi-  what  would  answer  the 
purpose,  and  fortunately  got  hold  of  a  number  of  empty  flasks 


4  THE   SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON. 

and  tin  canisters,  which  we  connected  two  and  two  togethei 
so  as  to  form  floats  sufficiently  buoyant  to  support  a  person  in 
the  water,  and  my  wife  and  young  sons  each  willingly  put 
one  on.  I  then  provided  myself  with  matches,  knives,  cord, 
and  other  portable  articles,  trusting  that,  should  the  vessel  go 
to  pieces  before  daylight,  we  might  gain  the  shore  not  wholly 
destitute. 

Fritz,  as  well  as  his  brothers,  now  slept  soundly.  Through- 
out the  night  my  wife  and  I  maintained  our  prayerful  watch, 
dreading  at  every  fresh  sound  some  fatal  change  in  the 
position  of  the  wreck. 

At  length  the  faint  dawn  of  day  appeared,  the  long,  weary 
night  was  over,  and  with  thankful  hearts  we  perceived  that 
the  gale  had  began  to  moderate  ;  blue  sky  was  seen  above  us, 
and  the  lovely  hues  of  sunrise  adorned  the  eastern  horizon. 

I  aroused  the  boys,  and  we  assembled  on  the  remaining  por- 
tion of  the  deck,  when  they,  to  their  surprise,  discovered  that 
no  one  else  was  on  board. 

"  Hallo,  papa  !  what  has  become  of  everybody  ?  Are  the 
sailors  gone  ?  Have  they  taken  away  the  boats  ?  Oh,  papa  ! 
why  did  they  leave  us  behind  ?  What  can  we  do  by  ourselves  ?  " 

"  My  good  children,"  I  replied,  "  we  must  not  despair,  al- 
though we  seem  deserted.  See  how  those  on  whose  skill 
and  good  faith  we  depended  have  1  jft  us  cruelly  to  our  fate 
in  the  hour  of  danger.  God  will  never  do  so.  He  has  not 
forsaken  us,  and  we  will  trust  him  still.  Only  let  us  bestir 
ourselves,  and  each  cheerily  do  his  best.  Who  has  anything 
to  propose  ?  " 

"  The  sea  will  soon  be  calm  enough  for  swimming,"  said 
Fritz. 

"And  that  would  be  all  very  fine  for  you, "  exclaimed 
Ernest,  "  but  think  of  mother  and  the  rest  of  us !  Why  not 
juild  a  raft  and  all  get  on  shore  together  ?  " 

"  We  should  find  it  difficult,  I  think,  to  make  a  raft  that 
would  carry  us  safe  to  shore.  However,  we  must  contrive 
something,  and  first  let  each  try  to  procure  what  will  be  of 
most  use  to  us." 

Away  we  all  went  to  see  what  was  to  be  found,  I  myself 
proceeding  to  examine,  as  of  great  consequence,  the  supplies 
of  provisions  and  fresh  water  within  our  reach. 

My  wife  tool-  her  youngest  son,  Franz,  to  help  her  to  feed 
the  unfortunate  animals  on  board,  who  were  in  a  pitiful  plight, 
having  been  neglected  for  several  days. 

Fritz  hastened  to  the  arm  chest,  Ernest  to  look  for  tools  ; 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY   BOBOSO1T.  5 

and  Jack  went  toward  the  captain's  cabin,  the  door  of  which  ho 
no  sooner  opened  than  out  sprang  two  splendid  large  dogs,  who 
testified  their  extreme  delight  and  gratitude  by  such  tremen- 
dous bounds  that  they  knocked  their  little  deliverer  completely- 
head  over  heels,  frightening  him  nearly  out  of  his  wite.  Jack 
did  not  long  yield  either  to  fear  or  anger  ;  he  presently  re- 
covered himself ;  the  dogs  seemed  to  ask  pardon  by  vehe- 
mently licking  his  face  and  hands,  and  so,  seizing  the  larger 
by  the  ears,  he  jumped  on  his  back,  and,  to  my  great  amuse* 
u»eit,  coolly  rode  to  meet  me  as  I  came  up  the  hatchway. 

When  we  re-assembled  in  the  cabin,  we  all  displayed  our 
treasures. 

Fritz  brought  a  couple  of  guns,  shot  belt,  powder  flasks,  and 
plenty  of  bullets. 

Ernest  prouced  a  cap  full  of  nails,  an  ax,  and  a  hammer, 
while  pincers,  chisels,  and  augers  stuck  out  of  all  his  pockets. 

Little  Franz  carried  a  box,  and  eagerly  began  to  show  us 
tlxe  "nice  sharp  little  hooks"  it  contained.  "Well  done, 
Franz !  "  cried  I;  "  these  fish  hooks,  which  you,  the  youngest, 
have  found,  may  contribute  more  than  anything  else  in  the 
ship  to  save  our  lives  by  procuring  food  for  us.  Fritz  and 
Ernest,  you  have  chosen  well." 

"  Will  you  praise  me  too  ?  "  said  my  dear  wife.  "  I  have 
nothing  to  show,  but  I  can  give  you  good  news.  Some  useful 
animals  are  stilJ  alive ;  a  cow,  a  donkey,  two  goats,  six  sheep, 
a  ram,  and  a  fine  sow.  I  was  but  just  in  time  to  save  their 
lives  by  taking  food  to  them." 

"  All  these  things  are  excellent  indeed,"  said  I ;  "  but  my 
friend  Jack  here  has  presented  me  with  a  couple  of  huge,  hungry, 
useless  dogs,  who  will  eat  more  than  any  of  us." 

"  Oh,  papa  !  they  will  be  of  use !  Why,  they  will  help  us  to 
hunt  when  we  get  on  shore  !  " 

"  No  doubt  they  will,  if  ever  we  do  get  on  shore,  Jack  ;  but 
must  say  I  don't  know  how  it  is  to  be  done." 

"Can't  we  each  get  into  a  big  tub,  and  float  there?"  returned 
ie.  "  I  have  often  sailed  splendidly  like  that,  round  the  pond 
$t  home." 

"  My  child,  you  have  hit  on  a  capital  idea,"  cried  L  "  Now, 
Krnest,  let  mp.  have  your  tools,  hammers,  nails,  saws,  augers, 
ind  all  ;  and  then  make  haste  to  collect  any  tubs  you  can  find  ln 

We  very  soon  found  four  large  casks,  made  of  sound  wood, 
\nd  strongly  bound  with  iron  hoops  ;  they  were  floating  with 
jaany  other  things  in  the  water  in  the  hold,  but  we  managed 
to  fish  them  out,  and  drag  them  to  a  suitable  place  for  launch* 


6  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

ing  them.  They  were  exactly  what  I  wanted,  and  I  succeeded 
in  sawing  them  across  the  middle.  Hard  work  it  was,  and 
we  were  glad  enough  to  stop  and  refresh  ourselves  with  wine 
and  biscuits. 

My  eight  tubs  now  stood  ranged  in  a  row  near  the  water'* 
edge,  and  I  looked  at  them  with  great  satisfaction  ;  to  my  sur- 
prise, my  wife  did  not  seem  to  share  my  pleasure  I 

"  I  shall  never,"  said  she, "  muster  courage  to  get  into  one 
of  these ! " 

"Do  not  be  too  sure  of  that,  dear  wife;  when  you  see  my 
contrivance  completed,  you  will  perhaps  prefer  it  to  this  im- 
movable wreck." 

I  next  procured  a  long,  thin  plank,  on  which  my  tubs  could 
be  fixed,  and  the  two  ends  of  this  I  bent  upward  so  as  to  form 
a  keel.  Other  two  planks  were  nailed  along  the  sides  of  the 
tubs  ;  they  also  being  flexible,  were  brought  to  a  point  at  each 
end,  and  all  firmly  secured  and  nailed  together.  I  felt  satisfied 
that  in  smooth  water  this  craft  would  be  perfectly  trustworthy. 
But  when  we  thought  all  was  ready  for  the  launch,  we  found, 
to  our  dismay,  that  the  grand  contrivance  was  so  heavy  and 
clumsy,  that  even  our  united  efforts  could  not  move  it  an  inch. 
"  I  must  have  a  lever,"  cried  I.  "  Run  and  fetch  the  capstan 
bar!" 

Fritz  quickly  brought  one,  and,  having  formed  rollers  by 
cutting  up  a  long  spar,  I  raised  the  fore  part  of  my  boat  with 
the  bar,  and  my  sous  placed  a  roller  under  it. 

"  How  is  it,  father,"  inquired  Ernest,  "  that  with  that  thing 
you  alone  can  do  more  than  all  of  us  together  ?  " 

I  explained,  as  well  as  I  could  in  a  hurry,  the  principle  of 
the  lever  ;  and  promised  to  have  a  long  talk  on  the  subject  of 
Mechanics,  should  we  have  a  future  opportunity. 

I  now  made  fast  a  long  rope  to  the  stern  of  our  boat,  at- 
taching the  other  end  to  a  beam  ;  then  placing  a  second  and 
third  roller  under  it,  we  once  more  began  to  push,  this  time 
with  success,  and  soon  our  gallant  craft  was  safely  launched  : 
so  swiftly  indeed  did  she  glide  into  the  water  that,  but  for  the 
rope,  she  would  have  passed  beyond  our  reach.  The  boys 
wished  to  jump  in  directly  ;  but,  alas,  she  leaned  so  much  o» 
one  side  that  they  could  not  venture  to  do  so. 

Some  heavy  things  being  thrown  in,  howevei,  the  boat 
righted  itself  by  degrees,  and  the  boys  were  so  delighted  that 
they  struggled  which  should  first  leap  in  to  have  the  fun  of 
sitting  down  in  the  tubs.  But  it  was  plain  to  me  at  once  that 
Bomething  more  was  required  to  make  her  perfectly  safe,  so  I 


THE    SWISS    FAMILY    BOBINSON.  f 

contrived  out-riggers  to  preserve  the  balance,  by  nailing  long 
poles  across  at  the  stem  and  stern,  and  fixing  at  the  ends  of  each 
empty  brandy  casks.  Then  the  boat  appearing  steady,  I  got 
in  ;  and  turning  it  toward  the  most  open  side  of  the  wreck,  I 
cut  and  cleared  away  obstructions,  so  as  to  leave  a  free 
passage  for  our  departure3  and  the  boys  brought  oars  to  be 
ready  for  the  voyage.  This  important  undertaking  we  were 
forced  to  postpone  until  the  next  day,  as  it  was  by  this  time 
far  too  late  to  attempt  it.  It  was  not  pleasant  to  have  to  spend 
another  night  in  so  precarious  a  situation  ;  but  yielding  to 
necessity,  we  sat  down  to  enjoy  a  comfortable  supper,  for  dur- 
ing our  exciting  and  incessant  work  all  day  we  had  taken 
nothing  but  an  occasional  biscuit  and  a  little  wine. 

We  prepared  for  rest  in  a  much  happier  frame  of  mind  than 
on  the  preceding  day,  but  I  did  not  forget  the  possibility  of  a 
renewed  storm,  and  therefore  made  every  one  put  on  the  belfci 
as  before. 

I  persuaded  my  wife  (not  without  considerable  difficulty), 
to  put  on  a  sailor's  dress,  assuring  her  she  would  find  it  much 
more  comfortable  and  convenient  for  all  she  would  have  to  go 
through.  She  at  last  consented  to  do  this,  and  left  us  for  a 
short  time,  reappearing  with  much  embarrassment  and  many 
blushes,  in  a  most  becoming  suit,  which  she  had  found  in  a 
midshipman's  chest.  We  all  admired  her  costume,  and  any 
awkwardness  she  felt  soon  began  to  pass  off ;  then  retiring 
to  our  berths,  peaceful  sleep  prepared  us  all  for  the  exertions 
of  the  coming  dav. 

We  rose  up  betimes,  for  sleep  weighs  lightly  on  the  hopeful, 
as  well  as  on  the  anxious.  After  kneeling  together  in  prayer, 
"  Now,  my  beloved  ones,"  said  I,  "  with  God's  help  we  are 
about  to  effect  our  escape.  Let  the  poor  animals  we  must  leave 
behind  be  well  fed,  and  put  plenty  of  fodder  within  their 
reach :  in  a  few  days  we  may  be  able  to  return,  and  save  them 
likewise.  After  that,  collect  everything  you  can  think  of 
which  may  be  of  use  to  us." 

t  The  boys  joyfully  obeyed  me,  and  I  selected  from  the  large 
quantity  of  stores  they  got  together,  canvas  to  make  a  tent,  a 
chest  of  carpenter's  tools,  guns,  pistols,  powder,  shot,  and 
bullets,  rods  and  fishing  tackle,  an  iron  pot,  a  case  of  portable 
soup,  and  another  of  biscuit.  These  useful  articles,  of  course, 
took  the  place  of  the  ballast  I  had  hastily  thrown  in  the  day 
before. 

With  a  hearty  prayer  for  God's  blessing,  we  now  began  to 
take  our  seats,  each  in  his  tub.  Just  then  we  heard  the  cocks 


8  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON1. 

begin  to  crow,  as  though  to  reproach  us  for  deserting  them, 
"  Why  should  not  the  fowls  go  with  us  ! "  exclaimed  I.  "  If 
we  find  no  food  for  them,  they  can  be  food  for  us  !  "  Ten 
hens  and  a  couple  of  cocks  were  accordingly  placed  in  one  of 
the  tubs,  and  secured  with  some  wire-netting  over  them. 

The  ducks  and  geese  were  set  at  liberty,  and  took  to  the 
water  at  once,  while  the  pigeons,  rejoicing  to  find  themselves 
on  the  wing,  swiftly  made  for  the  shore.  My  wife,  who 
managed  all  this  for  me,  kept  us  waiting  for  her  some  little 
time,  and  came  at  last  with  a  bag  as  big  as  a  pillow  in  her 
arms.  "  This  is  my  contribution,"  said  she,  throwing  the  bag  to 
little  Franz,  to  be,  as  I  thought,  a  cushion  for  him  to  sit  upon. 

All  being  ready,  we  cast  off,  and  moved  away  from  the 
wreck.  My  good,  brave  wife  sat  in  the  first  compartment  of 
the  boat ;  next  her  was  Franz,  a  pretty  little  boy,  nearly  eight 
years  old.  Then  came  Fritz,  a  handsome,  spirited  young 
fellow  of  fifteen  ;  the  two  center  tubs  contained  the  valuable 
cargo ;  then  came  our  bold,  thoughtless  Jack ;  next  him 
Ernest,  my  second  son,  intelligent,  well-formed,  and  rather 
indolent.  I  myself,  the  anxious,  loving  father,  stood  in  the 
stern,  endeavoring  to  guide  the  raft  with  its  precious  burden 
to  a  safe  landing-place. 

The  elder  boys  took  the  oars ;  everyotie  wore  a  float  belt, 
and  had  something  useful  close  to  him  in  case  of  being  thrown 
into  the  water. 

The  tide  was  flowing,  which  was  a  great  help  to  the  young 
oarsmen.  We  emerged  from  the  wreck  and  glided  into  the 
open  sea.  All  eyes  were  strained  to  get  a  full  view  of  the 
land,  and  the  boys  pulled  with  a  will ;  but  for  some  time  we 
made  no  progress,  as  the  boat  kept  turning  round  and  round, 
until  I  hit  upon  the  right  way  to  steer  it,  after  which  we 
merrily  made  for  the  shore. 

We  had  left  two  dogs,  Turk  and  Juno,  on  the  wreck,  a& 
being  both  large  mastiffs  we  did  not  care  to  have  their  addi- 
tional weight  on  board  our  craft ;  but  when  they  saw  us  ap. 
parently  deserting  them,  they  set  up  a  piteous  howl,  and 
sprang  into  the  sea.  I  was  sorry  to  see  this,  for  the  distance 
to  «,he  land  was  so  great  that  I  scarcely  expected  them  to  be 
able  to  accomplish  it.  They  followed  us,  however,  and,  ac- 
casionally  resting  their  fore-paws  on  the  outriggers,  kept  up 
with  us  well.  Jack  was  inclined  to  deny  them  this,  their  only 
chance  of  safety.  "  Stop,"  said  I,  "  that  would  be  unkind  as 
well  as  foolish  ;  remember,  the  merciful  man  regardeth  the 
life  of  his  beast." 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON,  f 

Our  passage,  though  tedious,  was  safe  ;  but  the  nearer  we 
approached  the  shore  the  less  inviting  it  appeared  ;  the  barren 
rocks  seemed  to  threaten  us  with  misery  and  want. 

Many  casks,  boxes,  and  bales  of  goods  floated  on  the  water 
around  us.  Fritz  and  I  managed  to  secure  a  couple  of  hogs- 
heads, so  as  to  tow  them  alongside.  With  the  prospect  of 
famine  before  us,  it  was  desirable  to  lay  hold  of  anything 
likely  to  contain  provisions. 

By  and  by  we  began  to  perceive  that,  between  and  beyond 
the  cliffs,  green  grass  and  trees  were  discernible.  Fritz  could 
distinguish  many  tall  palms,  and  Ernest  hoped  they  would 
prove  to  be  cocoa-nut  trees,  and  enjoyed  the  thoughts  of  drink- 
ing the  refreshing  milk. 

"I  am  very  sorry  I  never  thought  of  bringing  away  the 
captain's  telescope,"  said  I. 

"  Oh,  look  here,  father !  "  cried  Jack,  drawing  a  little  spy- 
glass joyfully  out  of  his  pocket. 

By  means  of  this  glass,  I  made  out  that  at  some  distance  to 
the  left  the  coast  was  much  more  inviting ;  a  strong  current 
however,  carried  us  directly  toward  the  frowning  rocks,  but  I 
presently  observed  an  opening,  where  a  stream  flowed  into  the 
sea,  and  saw  that  our  geese  and  ducks  were  swimming  toward 
this  place.  I  steered  after  them  into  the  creek,  and  we  found 
ourselves  in  a  small  bay  or  inlet  where  the  water  was  perfectly 
smooth  and  of  moderate  depth.  The  ground  sloped  gently 
upward  from  the  low  banks  to  the  cliffs,  which  here  retired  in- 
land, leaving  a  small  plain,  on  which  it  was  easy  for  us  to  land. 
Everyone  sprang  gladly  out  of  the  boat  but  little  Franz,  who, 
lying  packed  in  his  tub  like  a  potted  shrimp,  had  to  be  lifted 
out  by  his  mother. 

The  dogs  had  scrambled  on  shore  before  us  ;  they  received 
us  with  loud  barking  and  the  wildest  demonstrations  of  delight. 
The  geese  and  ducks  kept  up  an  incessant  din,  added  to 
which  was  the  screaming  and  croaking  of  flamingoes  and  pen- 
guins, whose  dominion  we  were  invading.  The  noise  was 
deafening,  but  far  from  unwelcome  to  me,  as  I  thought  of  the 
good  dinners  the  birds  might  furnish. 

As  soon  as  we  could  gather  our  children  around  us  on  dry 
land,  we  knelt  to  offer  thanks  and  praise  for  our  merciful  es- 
cape, and  with  full  hearts  we  commended  ourselves  to  God's 
good  keeping  for  the  time  to  come. 

All  hands  then  briskly  fell  to  the  work  of  unloading,  and  oh, 
how  rich  we  felt  ourselves  as  we  did  so  !  The  poultry  we  left 
at  liberty  to  forage  for  themselves,  and  set  about  finding  ft 


£•  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

suitable  place  to  erect  a  tent  in  which  to  pass  the  night.  This 
we  speedily  did  ;  thrusting  a  long  spar  into  a  hole  in  *he  rock, 
and  supporting  the  other  end  by  a  pole  firmly  planted  in  the 
ground,  we  formed  a  framework  over  which  we  stretched  the 
•ailcloth  we  had  brought ;  besides  fastening  this  down  with 
pegs,  we  placed  our  heavy  chest  and  boxes  on  the  border  of 
ffce  canvas,  and  arranged  hooks  so  as  to  be  able  to  close  up 
"he  entrance  during  the  night. 

When  this  was  accomplished,  the  boys  ran  to  collect  moss 
and  grass,  to  spread  in  the  tent  for  our  beds,  while  I  arranged 
a  fire-place  with  some  large  flat  stones,  near  the  brook  which 
flowed  closed  by.  Diy  twigs  and  seaweed  were  soon  in  a 
\laze  on  the  hearth  ;  I  filled  the  iron  pot  with  water,  and  giv- 
ing my  wife  several  cakes  of  the  portable  soup,  she  established 
herself  as  our  cook,  with  little  Franz  to  help  her. 

He,  thinking  his  mother  was  melting  some  glue  for  carpen- 
tering, was  eager  so  know  "  what  papa  was  going  to  make 
next  ?  " 

"  This  is  to  be  soup  for  your  dinner,  my  child.  Do  yon 
think  these  cakes  look  like  glue  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  I  do  ? "  replied  Franz,  "  and  I  should  not 
much  like  to  taste  glue  soup  !  don't  you  want  some  beef  or 
mutton,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Where  can  I  get  it,  dear  !  "  said  she,  "  we  are  a  long  way 
from  a  butcher's  shop  !  but  these  cakes  are  made  of  the  juice 
of  good  meat,  boiled  till  it  becomes  a  strong,  stiff  jelly — people 
take  them  when  they  go  to  sea,  because  on  a  long  voyage 
they  can  only  have  salt  meat,  which  will  not  make  nice  soup." 

Fritz,  meanwhile,  leaving  a  loaded  gun  with  me,  took  another 
himself,  and  went  along  the  rough  coast  to  see  what  lay  be- 
yond the  stream  ;  this  fatiguing  sort  of  walk  not  suiting 
Ernest's  fancy,  he  sauntered  down  to  the  beach,  and  Jack 
scrambled  among  the  rocks,  searching  for  shellfish. 

I  was  anxious  to  land  the  two  casks  which  were  floating 
alongside  our  boat,  but  on  attempting  to  do  so,  I  found  that 
I  could  not  get  them  up  the  bank  on  which  we  had  landed,  and 
was  therefore  obliged  to  look  for  a  more  convenient  spot. 
As  I  did  so,  I  was  startled  by  hearing  Jack  shouting  for  help, 
as  though  in  great  danger.  He  was  at  some  distance,  and  I 
hurried  toward  him  with  a  hatchet  in  my  hand.  The  little 
fellow  stood  screaming  in  a  deep  pool,  and  as  I  approached,  I 
§av\-  tj>^ft  llky  lobster  had  caught  his  leg  in  its  powerful 
craw.  TooFTack  was  in  a  terrible  fright ;  kick  as  he  would, 
his  enemy  still  clung  on.  I  waded  into  the  water,  and  seizing 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   EOBINSOlf.  11 

the  lobster  firmly  by  the  back,  managed  to  make  it  loosen  its 
hold,  and  we  brought  it  safe  to  land.  Jack,  having  speedily 
recovered  his  spirits,  and  anxious  to  take  such  a  prize  to  his 
mother,  caught  the  lobster  in  both  hands,  but  instantly  re- 
ceived such  a  severe  blow  from  its  tail  that  he  flung  it  down, 
and  passionately  hit  the  creature  with  a  large  stone.  This 
display  of  temper  vexed  me.  "You  are  acting  in  a  very 
childish  way,  my  son,"  said  I;  "  never  strike  an  enemy  in  a 
revengeful  spirit."  Once  more  lifting  the  lobster,  Jack  ran 
triumphantly  toward  the  tent. 

"  Mother,  mother !  a  lobster,  Ernest !  look  here,  Franz  ! 
mind,  he'll  bite  you  !  Where's  Fritz  ?  "  All  came  crowding 
round  Jack  and  his  prize,  wondering  at  its  unusual  size,  and 
Ernest  wanted  his  mother  to  make  lobster  soup  directly,  by 
adding  it  to  what  she  was  now  boiling. 

She,  however,  begged  to  decline  making  any  such  experi- 
ment, and  said  she  preferred  evoking  one  dish  at  a  time.  Hav- 
ing remarked  that  the  scene  of  Jack's  adventure  afforded  a 
convenient  place  for  getting  my  casks  on  shore,  I  returned 
thither  and  succeeded  in  drawing  them  up  on  the  beach,  where 
I  set  them  on  end,  and  for  the  present  left  them. 

On  my  return  I  resumed  the  subject  of  Jack's  lobster,  and 
told  him  he  should  have  the  offending  claw  all  to  himself,  when 
it  was  ready  to  be  eaten,  congratulating  him  on  being  the  first 
to  discover  anything  useful. 

"  As  to  that,"  said  Ernest,  "  I  found  something  very  good  to 
eat,  as  well  as  Jack,  only  I  could  not  get  at  them  without  wet- 
ting my  feet." 

"  Pooh  !  "  cried  Jack,  "  I  know  what  he  saw — nothing  but 
f  ome  nasty  mussels  ;  I  saw  them  too.  Who  wants  to  eat  trash 
like  that !  Lobster  for  me  !  " 

"  I  believe  them  to  be  oysters,  not  mussels,"  returned  Ernest 
calmly. 

"  Be  good  enough,  my  philosophical  young  friend,  to  fetch 
a  few  specimens  of  these  oysters  in  time  for  our  next  meal," 
•aid  I ;  "  we  must  all  exert  ourselves,  Ernest,  for  the  common 
good,  and  pray  never  let  me  hear  you  object  to  wetting  your 
feet.  See  how  quickly  the  sun  has  dried  Jack  and  me." 

"  I  can  bring  some  salt  at  the  same  time,"  said  Ernest, "  I 
remarked  a  good  deal  lying  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks ;  it 
tasted  very  pure  and  good,  and  I  concluded  it  was  produced 
by  the  evaporation  of  sea  water  in  the  sun." 

"  Extremely  probable,  learned  sir,"  cried  I ;  "  but  if  you 
had  brought  a  bagful  of  this  good  salt  instead  of  merely  spec* 


IS  THE  SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOW. 

alating  so  profoundly  on  the  subject,  it  would  have  been  moiO 
to  the  purpose.     Run  and  fetch  some  directly." 

It  proved  to  be  salt  sure  enough,  although  so  impure  that  it 
seemed  useless,  till  my  wife  dissolved  and  strained  it,  when  it 
became  fit  to  put  in  the  soup. 

"  Why  not  use  the  sea  water  itself  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Because,"  said  Ernest,  "  it  is  not  only  salt,  but  bitter  too. 
Just  try  it." 

"Now,"  said  my  wife,  tasting  the  soup  with  the  stick  with 
which  she  had  been  stirring  it,  "  dinner  is  ready,  but  where  can 
Fritz  be  ?  "  she  continued,  a  little  anxiously. 

"  How  are  we  to  eat  our  soup  when  he  does  come  ?  "  I  asked  ; 
"  we  have  neither  plates  nor  spoons,  and  we  can  scarcely  lift 
the  boiling  pot  to  our  mouths.  We  are  in  as  uncomfortable  a 
position  as  was  the  fox  to  whom  the  stork  served  up  a  dinner  in 
a  jug  with  a  long  neck." 

"  Oh,  for  a  few  cocoa-nut  shells  !  "  sighed  Ernest. 

"  Oh,  for  half  a  dozen  plates  and  as  many  silver  spoons  1 " 
rejoined  I,  smiling. 

"  Really  though,  oysters-shells  would  do,"  said  he,  after  a 
moment's  thought. 

"  True,  that  is  an  idea  worth  having  !  Off  with  you,  my 
boys;  get  the  oysters  and  clean  out  a  few  shells.  What  though 
our  spoons  have  no  handles,  and  we  do  burn  our  fingers  a  lit- 
tle in  baling  the  soup  out." 

Jack  was  away  and  up  to  his  knees  in  the  water,  in  a 
moment,  detaching  the  oysters.  Ernest  followed  more  leis- 
urely, and  still  unwilling  to  wet  his  feet,  stood  by  the  margin  of 
the  pool  and  gathered  in  his  handkerchief  the  oysters  his 
brother  threw  him  ;  as  he  thus  stood  he  picked  up  and  pocketed 
a  large  mussel  shell  for  his  own  use.  As  they  returned  with  a 
good  supply  we  heard  a  shout  from  Fritz  in  the  distance  ;  we 
returned  it  joyfully,  and  he  presently  appeared  before  us,  his; 
hands  behind  his  back,  and  a  look  of  disappointment  upon  his 
countenance. 

"  Unsuccessful ! "  said  he. 

"  Really  ! "  I  replied  ;  "  never  mind,  my  boy,  better  luck 
next  time." 

"  Oh,  Fritz ! "  exclaimed  his  brothers,  who  had  looked  behind 
him,  "a  sucking-pig,  a  little  sucking-pig.  Where  did  you 
get  it  ?  How  did  you  shoot  it  ?  Do  let  us  see  it ! " 

Fritz  then  with  sparkling  eyes  exhibited  his  prize. 

"lam  glad  to  see  the  result  of  your  prowess,  my  boy,"  said 


THH   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBINSOIf.  18 

I ;  "  but  I  cannot  approve  of  deceit,  even  as  a  joke  ;  stick  to 
the  truth  in  jest  and  earnest." 

Fritz  then  told  us  how  he  had  been  to  the  other  side  of  the 
stream.  "  So  different  from  this,"  he  said  ;  "  it  is  really  a 
beautiful  country,  and  the  shore,  which  runs  down  to  the  sea 
in  a  gentle  slope,  is  covered  with  all  sorts  of  useful  things  from 
the  wreck.  Do  let  us  go  and  collect  them.  And,  father, 
why  should  we  not  return  to  the  wreck  and  bring  off  some  of 
the  animals  ?  Just  think  of  what  value  the  cow  would  be  to 
us,  and  what  a  pity  it  would  be  to  lose  her  !  Let  us  get  her  on 
shore,  and  we  will  move  over  the  stream,  where  she  will  have 
good  pasturage,  and  we  shall  be  in  the  shade  instead  of  oil 
this  desert,  and  father,  I  do  wish " 

"  Stop,  stop,  my  boy  !  "  cried  I.  "All  will  be  done  in  good 
time.  To-morrow  and  the  day  after  will  bring  work  of  their 
own.  And  tell  me,  did  you  see  no  traces  of  our  shipmates  ?  " 

"Not  a  sign  of  them,  either  on  land  or  sea,  living  or 
dead,"  he  replied. 

"But  the  sucking-pig,"  said  Jack,  "where  did  you  get  it?" 

"  It  was  one  of  several,"  said  Fritz,  "  which  I  found  on  the 
shore ;  most  curious  animals  they  are  ;  they  hopped  rather 
than  walked,  and  eveiy  now  and  then  would  squat  down  on 
their  legs  and  rub  their  snouts  with  their  fore-paws.  Had  not 
I  been  afraid  of  losing  them  all,  I  would  have  tried  to  catch 
one  alive,  they  seemed  so  tame." 

Meanwhile  Ernest  had  been  carefully  examining  the  animal 
in  question. 

"  This  is  no  pig,"  he  said  ;  "  and  except  for  its  bristly  skin, 
does  not  look  like  one.  See,  its  teeth  are  not  like  those  of  a 

Eig,  but  rather  those  of  a  squirrel.     In  fact,"  he  continued, 
>oking  at  Fritz,  "  your  sucking  pig  is  an  agouti." 
"  Dear  me,"  said  Fritz  ;  "  listen  to  the  great  professor  lectur- 
ing !     He  is  going  to  prove  that  a  pig  is  not  a  pig  !  " 

"  You  need  not  be  so  quick  to  laugh  at  your  brother,"  said  I, 
in  my  turn  ;  "  he  is  quite  right.  I,  too,  know  the  agouti  by 
descriptions  and  pictures,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  this  is 
a  specimen.  The  little  animal  is  a  native  of  North  America, 
where  it  makes  its  nest  under  the  roots  of  trees,  and  lives  upon 
fruit.  But,  Ernest,  the  agouti  not  only  looks  something  like 
a  pig,  but  most  decidedly  grunts  like  a  porker." 

While  we  were  thus  talking,  Jack  had  been  vainly  endeavor- 
ing to  open  an  oyster  with  his  large  knife.  "  Here  is  a  simpler 
way,"  said  I,  placing  an  oyster  on  the  fire ;  it  immediately 


M  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

opened.  "  Now,"  I  continued,  "  who  will  try  this  delicacy  f " 
All  at  first  hesitated  to  partake  of  them,  so  unattractive  did 
they  appear.  Jack,  however,  tightly  closing  his  eyes  and  mak- 
ing a  face  as  though  about  to  tase  medicine,  gulped  one  down. 
We  followed  his  example,  one  after  the  other,  each  doing  so 
rather  to  provide  himself  with  a  spoon  than  with  any  hope  of 
mltivating  a  taste  for  oysters. 

Our  spoons  were  now  ready,  and  gathering  round  the  pot 
<ffe  dipped  them  in,  not,  however,  without  sundry  scalded 
Singers.  Ernest  then  drew  from  his  pocket  the  large  shell  h« 
aad  procured  for  his  own  use,  and  scooping  up  a  good  quan- 
tity of  soup  he  put  it  down  to  cool,  smiling  at  his  own  fort- 
sight. 

"  Prudence  should  be  exercised  for  others,"  I  remarked  ; 
"your  cool  soup  will  do  capitally  for  the  dogs,  my  boy ;  take 
it  to  them,  and  then  come  and  eat  like  the  rest  of  us." 

Ernest  winced  at  this,  but  silently  taking  up  his  shell  he 
placed  it  on  the  ground  before  the  hungry  dogs,  who  lapped 
up  its  contents  in  a  moment  ;  he  then  returned,  and  we  all 
went  merrily  on  with  our  dinner.  While  we  were  thus 
busily  employed,  we  suddenly  discovered  that  our  dogs,  not 
satisfied  with  their  mouthful  of  soup,  had  espied  the  agouti, 
and  were  rapidly  devouring  it.  Fritz,  seizing  his  gun,  flew  to 
rescue  it  from  their  hungry  jaws,  and  before  I  could  prevent 
him,  struck  one  of  them  with  such  force  that  his  gun  was 
bent.  The  poor  beasts  ran  off  howling,  followed  by  a  shower 
of  stones  from  Fritz,  who  shouted  and  yelled  at  them  so 
fiercely  that  his  mother  was  actually  terrified.  I  followed 
him,  and  as  soon  as  he  would  listen  to  me,  represented  to  him 
how  despicable,  as  well  as  wicked,  was  such  an  outbreak  of 
temper :  "  for,"  said  I,  "  you  have  hurt,  if  not  actually 
vounded,  the  dogs  ;  you  have  distressed  and  terrified  your 
mother,  and  spoiled  your  gun." 

Though  Fritz's  passion  was  easily  aroused,  it  never  lasted 
long,  and  speedily  recovering  himself,  immediately  he  en- 
treated his  mother's  pardon,  and  expressed  his  sorrow  for  his 
fault. 

By  this  time  the  sun  was  sinking  beneath  the  horizon,  and 
the  poultry,  which  had  been  straying  to  some  little  distance, 
gathered  round  us,  and  began  to  pick  up  the  crumbs  of  bis- 
cuit which  had  fallen  during  our  repast.  My  wtfe  hereupon 
drtw  from  her  mysterious  bag  some  handfuls  of  oafcs,  peas, 
ana  otner  grain,  and  with  them  began  to  feed  the  poultry. 
She  at  the  same  time  showed  me  several  other  seeds  of  various 


THB   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBIXSON.  IS 

yegetables.     "That  was  indeed   thoughtful,7' said  I;    "but 

Eray  be  careful  of  what  will  be  of  such  value  to  us  ;  we  can 
ring  plenty  of  damaged  biscuits  from  the  wreck,  which, 
though  of  no  use  as  food  for  us,  will  suit  the  fowls  very  well 
indeed." 

The  pigeons  now  flew  up  to  crevices  in  the  rocks,  the  fowls 
perched  themselves  on  our  tent  pole,  and  the  ducks  and  geese 
waddled  off,  cackling  and  quacking,  to  the  marshy  margin  of 
the  river.  We,  too,  were  ready  for  repose,  and  having  loaded 
our  guns,  and  offered  up  our  prayers  to  God,  thanking 
him  for  his  many  mercies  to  us,  we  commended  our- 
selves to  his  protecting  care,  and  as  the  last  ray  of  light 
departed,  closed  our  tent  and  lay  down  to  rest. 

The  children  remarked  the  suddenness  of  nightfall,  for 
indeed  there  had  been  little  or  no  twilight.  This  convinced 
me  that  we  must  be  not  far  from  the  equator,  for  twilight  re- 
sults from  the  refraction  of  the  sun's  rays :  the  more  obliquely 
these  rays  fall,  the  farther  does  the  partial  light  extend ;  while 
the  more  perpendicularly  they  strike  the  earth,  the  longer  do 
they  continue  their  nndiminished  force,  until,  when  the  sun 
sinks,  they  totally  disappear,  thus  producing  sudden  darkness. 


CHAPTER  H. 

A  morning  consultation — Breakfast — Away  on  an  expedition — Over  tha 
stream  and  through  the  grass — An  unexpected  reinforcement — Search 
in  vain  for  our  comrades — Rest  by  a  stream — Fritz  finds  a  "  round 
bird's  nest " — Natural  history  of  a  cocoa-nut — Calabash  trees — The 
use  of  gourds — How  to  make  a  bottle — A  lovely  but  lonely  scene 
— Sugar-canes — Monkeys  of  use — Cocoa-nut  milk  turned  to  cham- 
pagne— Turk  kills  an  unfortunate  mother  monkey— Carry  the  orphan 
home — Display  our  treasures— A  sumptuous  supper — Ernest's  pen- 
guin— Champagne  turned  to  vinegar— A  fight  with  jackals — A  curi- 
ous sentinel— A  visit  to  the  wreck — We  rigour  craft — Stow  a  cargo 
— Sleep  on  board — Floats  for  our  herd — We  embark — Encounter  a 
shark — Land — Relate  our  adventures. 

WE  should  have  been  badly  off  without  the  shelter  of  our 
tent,  for  the  night  proved  as  cold  as  the  day  had  been  hot,  but 
we  managed  to  sleep  comfortably,  everyone  being  thoroughly 
fatigued  by  the  labors  of  the  day.  The  voice  of  our  vigilant 
oock.  which,  as  he  loudly  saluted  the  rising  moon,  was  the  last 
sou  ml  I  heard  at  night,  roused  me  at  daybreak,  and  I  then  awoke 
my  wife,  that  in  the  quiet  interval  while  yet  our  children  slept, 
We  might  take  counsel  together  on  our  situation  and  yrospecta. 


16  THE    SWIStf    FAMJCLY   ROBINSON. 

It  was  plain  to  both  of  us  that,  in  the  first  place,  we  should 
ascertain  if  possible  the  fate  of  our  late  companions,  and  then 
examine  into  the  nature  and  resources  of  the  country  on  which 
we  were  stranded. 

We  therefore  came  to  the  resolution  that,  as  soon  as  we  had 
breakfasted,  Fritz  and  I  should  start  on  an  expedition  with 
these  objects  in  view,  while  my  wife  remained  near  our  landing- 
place  with  the  three  younger  boys. 

"  Rouse  up,  rouse  up,  my  boys,"  cried  I,  awakening  the 
children  cheerfully.  "  Come  and  help  your  mother  to  get 
breakfast  ready." 

"  As  to  that,"  said  she  smiling,  "  we  can  but  set  on  the  pot, 
and  boil  some  more  soup  !  " 

"  Why,  you  forget  Jack's  fine  lobster ! "  replied  I.  "  What 
has  become  of  it,  Jack  !  " 

"  It  has  been  safe  in  this  hole  in  the  rock  all  night,  father. 
You  see,  I  thought,  as  the  dogs  seem  to  like  good  things,  they 
might  take  a  fancy  to  that,  as  well  as  to  the  agouti." 

"A  very  sensible  precaution,"  remarked  I.  "I  believe 
even  my  heedless  Jack  will  learn  wisdom  in  time.  It  is  well 
the  lobster  is  so  large,  for  we  shall  want  to  take  part  with  us 
on  our  excursion  to-day."* 

At  the  mention  of  an  excursion,  the  four  children  were  wild 
with  delight,  and  capering  around  me,  clapped  their  hands  for 

joy- 

"  Steady  there,  steady  !  "  said  I,  "  you  cannot  expect  all  to 
go.  Such  an  expedition  as  this  would  be  too  dangerous  and 
fatiguing  for  you  younger  ones.  Fritz  and  I  will  go  alone  this 
time,  with  one  of  the  dogs,  leaving  the  other  to  defend 
you." 

We  then  armed  ourselves,  each  taking  a  gun  and  a  game 
bag  ;  Fritz  in  addition  sticking  a  pair  of  pistols  in  his  belt, 
and  I  a  small  hatchet  in  mine  ;  breakfast  being  over,  we 
stowed  away  the  remainder  of  the  lobster  and  some  biscuits, 
with  a  flask  of  water,  and  were  ready  for  a  start, 
i  "  Stop  ! "  I  exclaimed,  "  we  have  still  left  something  very 
important  undone." 

"  Surely  not,"  said  Fritz. 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  we  have  not  yet  joined  in  morning  prayer. 
W«  are  only  too  ready,  amid  the  cares  and  pleasures  of  this 
life,  to  forget  the  God  to  whom  we  owe  all  things."  Then 
having  commended  ourselves  to  his  protecting  care,  I  took 
leave  of  my  wife  and  children,  and  bidding  them  not  wander 
fs.r  from  the  boat  and  tent,  we  parted  not  without  some 


THE  SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON".  If 

anxiety  on  either  side,  for  we  knew  not  what  might  assail  ui 
in  this  unknown  region. 

We  now  found  that  the  banks  of  the  stream  were  on  both 
sides  so  rocky  that  we  could  get  down  to  the  water  by  only 
one  narrow  passage,  and  there  was  no  corresponding  path  on 
the  other  side.  I  was  glad  to  see  this,  however,  for  I  now 
knew  that  my  wife  and  children  were  on  a  comparatively  in- 
accessible spot,  the  other  side  of  the  tent  being  protected  by 
steep  and  precipitous  cliffs.  Fritz  and  I  pursued  our  way  up 
the  stream  until  we  reached  a  point  where  the  waters  fell  from 
a  considerable  height  in  a  cascade,  and  where  several  large 
rocks  lay  half  covered  by  the  water  ;  by  means  of  these  we 
succeeded  in  crossing  the  stream  in  safety.  We  thus  had  the 
sea  on  our  left,  and  a  long  line  of  rocky  heights,  here  and  there 
adorned  with  clumps  of  trees,  stretching  away  inland  to  the 
right.  We  had  forced  our  way  scarcely  fifty  yards  through 
the  long  rank  grass,  which  was  here  partly  withered  by  the 
sun  and  much  tangled,  when  we  heard  behind  us  a  rustling, 
and  on  looking  round  saw  the  grass  waving  to  and  fro,  as  if  some 
animal  were  passing  through  it.  Fritz  instantly  turned  and 
brought  his  gun  to  his  shoiuder,  ready  to  fire  the  moment  the 
beast  should  appear.  I  was  much  pleased  with  my  son's  cool- 
ness and  presence  of  mind,  for  it  showed  me  that  I  might 
thoroughly  rely  upon  him  on  any  future  occasion  when  real 
danger  might  occur ;  this  time,  however,  no  savage  beast 
rushed  out,  but  our  trusty  dog  Turk,  whom  in  our  anxiety  at 
parting  we  had  forgotten,  and  who  had  been  sent  after  us, 
doubtless,  by  my  thoughtful  wife. 

From  this  little  incident,  however,  we  saw  how  dangerous 
was  our  position,  and  how  difficult  escape  would  be  should  any 
fierce  beast  steal  upon  us  unawares  :  we  therefore  hastened  to 
make  our  way  to  the  open  seashore.  Here  the  scene  which 
presented  itself  was  indeed  delightful.  A  background  of 
hills,  the  green  waving  grass,  the  pleasant  groups  of  trees 
stretching  here  and  there  to  the  very  water's  edge,  formed  a' 
lovely  prospect.  On  the  smooth  sand  we  searched  carefully 
for  any  trace  of  our  hapless  companions,  but  not  the  mark  of  a 
footstep  could  we  find. 

"  Shall  I  fire  a  shot  or  two  ? "  said  Fritz  ;  "  that  would 
bring  our  companions,  if  they  are  within  hearing." 

"  It  would  indeed,"  I  replied,  "  or  any  savages  that  may  be 
here.  No,  no  ;  let  us  search  diligently,  but  as  quietly  as 
possible." 

"  But  why,  father,  should  wt  trouble  ourselves  about  them 


|8  THE     WISfi  FAMILY  nOBINROlC. 

at  all  ?    They  left  us  to  shift  for  ourselves,  and  I  for  one  <3on*l 
care  to  set  eyes  on  them  again." 

"  You  are  wrong,  my  boy,"  said  I.  "  In  the  first  place,  we 
should  not  return  evil  for  evil ;  then,  again,  they  might  be  of 
great  assistance  to  us  in  building  a  house  of  some  sort ;  and 
lastly,  you  must  remember  that  they  took  nothing  with  them 
from  the  vessel,  and  may  be  perishing  of  hunger." 

Thus  talking,  we  pushed  on  until  we  came  to  a  pleasant 
grove  which  stretched  down  to  the  water's  edge  ;  here  we 
Halted  to  rest,  seating  ourselves  under  a  large  tree,  by  a  rivulet 
•which  murmured  and  splashed  along  its  pebbly  bed  into  the 
great  ocean  before  us.  A  thousand  gayly-plumaged  birdi 
lew  twittering  above  us,  and  Fritz  and  I  gazed  up  at  them. 

My  son  suddenly  started  up. 

"  A  monkey,"  he  exclaimed ;  "  I  am  nearly  sure  I  saw  a 
monkey." 

As  he  spoke  he  sprang  round  to  the  other  side  of  the  tree,  and 
in  doing  so  stumbled  over  a  round  substance,  which  he  handed 
to  me,  remarking,  as  he  did  so,  that  it  was  a  round  bird's  nest, 
of  which  he  had  often  heard. 

"  You  may  have  done  so,"  said  I,  laughing,  •'  but  you  need 
not  necessarily  conclude  that  every  round  hairy  thing  is  a  bird'g 
nest ;  this,  for  instance,  is  not  one,  but  a  cocoanut." 

We  split  open  the  nut,  but,  to  our  disgust,  found  the  kernel 
dry  and  uneatable. 

"  Hullo,"  cried  Fritz,  "  I  always  thought  a  cocoanut  was  full 
of  delicious  sweet  liquid,  like  almond  milk." 

"  So  it  is,"  I  replied,  "  when  young  and  fresh,  but  as  it  ripeni 
the  milk  becomes  congealed,  and  in  course  of  time  is  solidified 
into  a  kernel.  This  kernel  then  dries  as  you  see  here,  but  when 
the  nut  falls  on  favorable  soil,  the  germ  within  the  kernel  swells 
until  it  bursts  through  the  shell,  and,  taking  root,  springs  up 
a  new  tree." 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  said  Fritz,  "  how  the  little  germ 
manages  to  get  through  this  great  thick  shell,  which  is  not  like 
an  almond  or  hazel  nut-shell,  that  is  divided  down  the  middle 
already." 

"  Nature  provides  for  all  things,"  I  answered,  taking  up  the 
pieces.  "  Look  here,  do  you  see  these  three  round  holes  near 
the  stalk?  it  is  through  them  that  the  germ  obtains  egress. 
Now  let  us  find  a  good  nut  if  we  can." 

As  cocoanuts  must  be  over-ripe  before  they  fall  naturally 
from  the  tree,  it  was  not  without  difficulty  that  we  obtained 
one  in  which  the  kernel  was  not  dried  UD.  When  we  succeeded, 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON.  IV 

however,  we  were  so  refreshed  by  the  fruit  that  we  oould  defer 
the  repast  we  called  our  dinner  until  later  in  the  day,  and  so 
spare  our  stock  of  provisions. 

Continuing  our  way  through  a  thicket,  and  which  was  so 
densely  overgrown  with  lianas  that  we  had  to  clear  a  passage 
with  our  hatchets,  we  again  emerged  on  the  seashore  beyond, 
and  found  an  open  view,  the  forest  sweeping  inland,  while  on 
the  space  before  us  stood  at  intervals  single  trees  of  remarkable 
appearance. 

These  at  once  attracted  Fritz's  observant  eye,  and  he  pointed, 
to  them,  exclaiming, 

"  Oh,  what  absurd-looking  trees,  father  !  See  what  strange 
bumps  there  are  on  the  trunks." 

We  approached  to  examine  them,  and  I  recognized  them  a§ 
calabash  trees,  the  fruit  of  which  grows  in  this  curious  way  on 
the  stems,  and  is  a  species  of  gourd,  from  the  hard  rtnd  of 
which  bowls,  spoons,  and  bottles  can  be  made.  "  The  savages," 
I  remarked,  "  are  said  to  form  these  things  most  ingeniously, 
using  them  to  contain  liquids  :  indeed,  they  actually  cook  food 
in  them." 

"  Oh,  but  that  is  impossible,'*  returned  Fritz.  "  I  am  quite 
sure  this  rind  would  be  burnt  through  directly  it  was  set  on 
the  fire." 

"I  did  not  say  it  was  set  on  the  fire  at  alL  When  the  gourd 
has  been  divided  in  two,  and  the  shell  or  rind  emptied  of  its 
contents,  it  is  filled  with  water,  into  which  the  fish,  or  what- 
ever is  to  be  cooked,  is  put ;  red  hot  stones  are  added  until  the 
water  boils ;  the  food  becomes  fit  to  eat,  and  the  gourd-rind 
remains  uninjured." 

"  That  is  a  very  clever  plan  :  very  simple  too.  I  daresay  I 
should  have  hit  on  it,  if  I  had  tried,"  said  Fritz. 

"  The  friends  of  Columbus  thought  it  very  easy  to  make  an 
egg  stand  upon  its  end  when  he  had  shown  them  how  to  do  it. 
But  now  suppose  we  prepare  some  of  these  calabashes,  that 
they  may  be  ready  for  use  when  we  take  them  home." 

Fritz  instantly  took  up  one  of  the  gourds,  and  tried  to  split  it 
equally  with  his  knife,  but  in  vain  :  the  blade  slipped,  and  tb* 
calabash  was  cut  jaggedly.  "  What  a  nuisance  !  "  said  Fritz, 
dinging  it  down,  "  the  thing  is  spoiled  ;  and  yet  it  seemed  so 
simple  to  divide  it  properly." 

"  Stay,"  said  I ;  "  you  are  too  impatient,  those  pieces  are  not 
useless.  Do  you  try  to  fashion  from  them  a  spoon  or  two 
while  I  provide  a  dish." 

I  then  took  from  my  pocket  ft  piece  of  string,  which  I  tied 


80  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  BOBUfSOIT. 

tightly  round  a  gourd,  as  near  one  end  of  it  as  I  could  ;  then 
tapping  the  string  with  the  back  of  my  knife,  it  penetra- 
ted the  outer  shell.  When  this  was  accomplished,  I  tied  the 
string  yet  tighter  ;  and  drawing  the  ends  with  all  my  might, 
the  gourd  fell,  divided  exactly  as  I  wished. 

"  That  is  clever !  "^cried  Fritz.  "  What  in  the  world  put 
that  plan  into  your  head  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  plan,"  I  replied,  "  which  the  negroes  adopt,  as  1 
have  learned  from  reading  books  of  travel." 
|  "  Well,  it  certainly  makes  a  capital  soup-tureen,  and  a  soup 
plate  too,"  said  Fritz,  examining  the  gourd.  "  But  supposing 
you  had  wanted  to  make  a  bottle,  how  would  you  have  set  to 
work  ?  * 

"  It  would  be  an  easier  operation  than  this,  if  possible.  All 
that  is  necessary  is  to  cut  a  round  hole  at  one  end,  then  to 
scoop  out  the  interior,  and  to  drop  in  several  shot  or  stones : 
when  these  are  shaken,  any  remaining  portions  of  the  fruit 
are  detached,  and  the  gourd  is  thoroughly  cleaned,  and  the 
bottle  completed." 

"  That  would  not  make  a  very  convenient  bottle  though, 
father  ;  it  would  be  more  like  a  barrel." 

"  True,  my  boy  ;  if  you  want  a  more  shapely  vessel,  you 
must  take  it  in  hand  when  it  is  younger.  To  give  it  a  neck,  for  in- 
stance, you  must  tie  a  bandage  round  the  young  gourd  while 
it  is  still  on  the  tree,  and  then  all  will  swell  but  that  part 
which  you  have  checked," 

As  I  spoke,  I  filled  the  gourds  with  sand,  and  left  them  to 
dry  ;  marking  the  spot  that  we  might  return  for  them  on 
our  way  back. 

For  three  hours  or  more  we  pushed  forward,  keeping  a 
sharp  lookout  on  either  side  for  any  trace  of  our  companions, 
till  we  reached  a  bold  promontory,  stretching  some  way  into 
the  sea,  from  whose  rocky  summit  I  knew  that  we  should 
obtain  a  good  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  With  little  difficulty  we  reached  the  top,  but  the 
most  careful  survey  of  the  beautiful  landscape  failed  to  show 
us  the  slightest  sign  or  trace  of  human  beings.  Before  us 
stretched  a  wide  and  lovely  bay,  fringed  with  yellow  sanda 
either  side  extending  into  the  distance,  and  almost  lost  tc 
view  in  two  shadowy  promontories  ;  inclosed  by  these  two 
arms  lay  a  sheet  of  rippling  water,  which  reflected  in  its 
depths  the  glorious  sun  above.  The  scene  inland  was  no  lea* 
beautiful ;  and  yet  Fritz  and  I  both  felt  a  shade  of  loneliness 
stealing  over  us  as  we  gazed  ou  its  utter  solitude. 


THX  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  21 

"  Cheer  up,  Fritz,  my  boy,"  said  I  presently.  "  Remem« 
her  that  we  chose  a  settler's  life  long  ago,  before  we  left  our 
own  dear  country  ;  we  certainly  did  not  expect  to  be  so  en- 
tirely alone — but  what  matters  a  few  people,  more  or  less  ? 
With  God's  help,  let  us  endeavor  to  live  here  contentedly, 
thankful  that  we  were  not  cast  upon  some  bare  and  inhospitable 
island.  But  come,  the  heat  here  is  getting  unbearable  ;  letJ 
us  find  some  shady  place  before  we  are  completely  broiled 
away." 

We  descended  the  hill  and  made  for  a  clump  of  palm  trees, 
which  we  saw  at  a  little  distance.  To  reach  this,  we  had  to 
pass  through  a  dense  thicket  of  reeds,  no  pleasant  or  easy 
task  ;  for,  besides  the  difficulty  of  forcing  our  way  through, 
I  feared  at  every  step  that  we  might  tread  on  some  venomous 
snake.  Sending  Turk  in  advance,  I  cut  one  of  the  reeds, 
thinking  it  would  be  a  more  useful  weapon  against  a  reptile 
than  my  gun.  I  had  carried  it  but  a  little  way,  when  I 
noticed  a  thick  juice  exuding  from  one  end.  I  tasted  it,  and 
to  my  delight  found  it  sweet  and  pleasant.  I  at  once  knew 
that  I  was  standing  amongst  sugar-canes.  Wishing  Fritz  to 
jaake  the  same  discovery,  I  advised  him  to  cut  a  cane  for  his 
defense  ;  he  did  so,  and  as  he  beat  the  ground  before  him, 
the  reed  split,  and  his  hand  was  covered  with  the  juice. 
He  carefully  touched  the  cane  with  the  tip  of  his  tongue, 
then,  finding  the  juice  sweet,  he  did  so  again  with  less  hesi- 
tation ;  and  a  moment  afterward  sprang  back  to  me  exclaim- 
ing : 

"  Oh,  father,  sugar-canes  !  sugar-canes !  Taste  it.  Oh, 
how  delicious,  how  delightful  !  do  let  us  take  a  lot  home 
to  mother,"  he  continued,  sucking  eagerly  at  the  cane. 

"  Gently  there,"  said  I, "  take  breath  a  moment,  moderation 
in  all  things,  remember.  Cut  some  to  take  home  if  you  like, 
only  don't  take  more  than  you  can  conveniently  carry." 

in  spite  of  my  warning,  my  son  cut  a  dozen  or  more  of  the 
largest  canes,  and  stripping  them  of  their  leaves,  carried  them 
under  his  arm.  We  than  pushed  through  the  cane-brake,  and 
reached  the  clump  of  palms  for  which  we  had  been  making  ; 
as  we  entered  it  a  troop  of  monkeys,  who  had  been  disporting 
themselves  on  the  ground,  sprang  up,  chattering  and  grimac- 
ing, and  before  we  could  clearly  distinguish  them  were  at  the 
very  top  of  the  trees. 

ihitz  was  so  provoked  by  their  impertinent  gestures  that  ha 
raised  his  gun  and  would  have  shot  one  of  the  poor  beasts. 

"  Stay,"  cried  I,  "  never  take  the  life  of  any  animal  need> 


SS  THB   SWISS   FAMILF   EOBINSOH. 

leesly.  A  live  monkey  up  in  that  tree  is  of  more  use  to  us 
than  a  dozen  dead  ones  at  our  feet,  as  I  will  show  you." 

Saying  this,  I  gathered  a  handful  of  small  stones,  and  threw 
them  up  toward  the  apes.  The  stones  did  not  go  near  them, 
but  influenced  by  their  instinctive  mania  for  imitation,  they 
instantly  seized  all  the  cocoanuts  within  their  reach,  and  sent 
*  perfect  hail  of  them  down  upon  us. 

Fritz  was  delighted  with  my  stratagem,  and  rushing  for- 
ward picked  up  some  of  the  finest  of  the  nuts.  We  drank  th« 
milk  they  contained,  drawing  it  through  the  holes,  which  I 
pierced,  and  then,  splitting  the  nuts  open  with  the  hatchet,  ate 
the  cream  which  lined  their  shells.  After  this  delicious  meal, 
we  throughly  despised  the  lobster  we  had  been  carrying,  and 
threw  it  to  Turk,  who  ate  it  gratefully  ;  but  far  from  being 
satisfied,  the  poor  beast  began  to  gnaw  the  ends  of  the  sugar- 
canes,  and  to  beg  for  cocoanut.  I  slung  a  couple  of  the  nuts 
over  my  shoulder,  fastening  them  together  by  their  stalks,  and 
Fritz  having  resumed  his  burden,  we  began  our  homeward 
march. 

I  soon  discovered  that  Fritz  found  the  weight  of  his  canes 
considerably  more  than  he  expected :  he  shifted  them  from 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  then  fora  while  carried  them  under  his 
arm,  and  finally  stopped  short  with  a  sigh.  "  I  had  no  idea," 
he  said,  "  that  a  few  reeds  would  be  so  heavy." 

"  Never  mind,  my  boy,"  I  said,  "  patience  and  courage  I 
Do  you  not  remember  the  story  of  ^Esop  and  his  bread-basket, 
how  heavy  he  found  it  when  he  started,  and  how  light  at  the 
end  of  his  journey  ?  Let  us  each  take  a  fresh  staff,  and  then 
fasten  the  bundle  crosswise  with  your  gun." 

We  did  so,  and  once  more  stepped  forward.  Fritz  presently 
noticed  that  I  from  time  to  time  sucked  the  end  of  my  cane. 

"  Oh,  come,"  said  he,  "  that's  a  capital  plan  of  yours,  father, 
I'll  do  that  too." 

f  So  saying,  he  began  to  suck  most  vigorously,  but  not  a  drop 
of  the  juice  could  he  extract.  "How  is  this?"  he  askeo. 
"  How  do  you  get  the  juice  out,  father  ?  " 

"  Think  a  little,"  I  replied,  "  you  are  quite  as  capable  as  I 
am  of  finding  out  the  way,  even  if  you  do  not  know  the  real 
reason  of  your  failure." 

"Oh,  of  course,"  said  he,  "  it  is  like  trying  to  suck  marrow 
from  a  marrow-bone,  without  making  a  hole  at  the  other 
•nd." 

"  Quite  right,"  I  said,  "  you  form  a  vacuum  in  your  mouth 
aud  the  end  of  your  tube  and  expect  the  air  to  force  down 


THB  SWISS  FAMILY   KOBIKSON.  SS 

the  liquid  from  the  other    end  which  it  cannot  possibly 
enter." 

Fritz  was  speedily  perfect  in  the  accomplishment  of  suck- 
ing sugar-cane,  discovering  by  experience  the  necessity  for  a 
fresh  cat  at  each  joint  or  knot  in  the  cane,  through  which  the 
juice  would  not  flow  ;  he  talked  of  the  pleasure  of  initiating 
his  brothers  in  the  art,  and  of  how  Ernest  would  enjoy  the 
cocoanut  milk,  with  which  he  had  filled  his  flask. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  said  I,  "  you  need  not  have  added  that  to 
your  load  ;  the  chances  are  it  is  vinegar  by  the  time  we  get 
home.  In  the  heat  of  the  sun,  it  will  ferment  soon  after  being 
drawn  from  the  nut." 

"  Vinegar  !  Oh,  that  would  be  a  horrid  bore  !  I  must  look 
directly,  and  see  how  it  is  getting  on,"  cried  Fritz,  hastily 
swinging  the  flask  from  his  shoulder,  and  tugging  out  the  cork. 
With  a  loud  "  pop "  the  contents  came  forth,  foaming  like 
champagne. 

"  There  now ! "  said  I,  laughing  as  he  tasted  this  new 
luxury,  "  you  will  have  to  exercise  moderation  again,  friend 
Fritz  !  I  daresay  it  is  delicious,  but  it  will  go  to  your  head, 
if  you  venture  deep  into  your  flask." 

"  My  dear  father,  you  cannot  think  how  good  it  is  !  Do 
take  some.  Vinegar,  indeed  !  This  is  like  excellent  wine." 

We  were  both  invigorated  by  this  unexpected  draught,  and 
went  on  so  merrily  after  it,  that  the  distance  to  the  place 
where  we  had  left  our  gourd-dishes  seemed  less  than  we  ex- 
pected. We  found  them  quite  dry,  and  very  light  and  easy  to 
carry. 

Just  as  we  had  passed  through  the  grove  in  which  we  had 
breakfasted,  Turk  suddenly  darted  away  from  us  and  sprang 
furiously  among  a  troop  of  monkeys,  which  were  gamboling 
playfully  on  the  turf  at  a  little  distance  from  the  trees.  They 
were  taken  by  surprise  completely,  and  the  dog,  now  really 
ravenous  from  hunger,  had  seized  and  was  fiercely  tearing  one 
to  pieces  before  we  could  approach  the  spot. 

His  luckless  victim  was  the  mother  of  a  tiny  little  monkey, 
which,  being  on  her  back  when  the  dog  flew  at  her,  hinderet. 
her  flight.  The  little  creature  attempted  to  hide  among  the 
grass,  and  in  trembling  fear  watched  its  mother.  On  perceiv 
ing  Turk's  bloodthirsty  design,  Fritz  had  eagerly  rushed  to 
the  rescue,  flinging  away  all  he  was  carrying,  and  losing  his 
hat  in  his  haste.  All  to  no  purpose  as  far  as  the  poor  mother 
ape  was  concerned,  and  a  laughable  scene  ensued,  for  no 
sooner  did  the  young  moafrag  catch  siaht  of  him,  than  at  one 


24  THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

bound  it  was  on  his  shoulders,  and,  holding  fast  by  his 
thick  curly  hair,  it  firmly  kept  its  seat  in  spite  of  all  he  could 
do  to  dislodge  it.  He  screamed  and  plunged  about  as  he  en- 
deavored to  shake  or  pull  the  creature  off,  but  all  in  vain  ;  it  only 
elung  the  closer  to  his  neck,  making  the  most  absurd  grimaces. 

I  laughed  so  much  at  this  ridiculous  scene,  that  I  could 
scarcely  assist  my  terrified  boy  out  of  his  awkward  predica- 
ment. 

,  At  last,  by  coaxing  the  monkey,  offering  it  a  bit  of  biscuit  J 
and  gradually  disentangling  its  small  sinewy  paws  from  the 
curls  it  grasped  so  tightly,  I  managed  to  relieve  poor  Fritz, 
who  then  looked  with  interest  at  the  baby  ape,  no  bigger 
than  a  kitten,  as  it  lay  in  my  arms. 

"  What  a  jolly  little  fellow  it  is  ! "  exclaimed  he,  "  do 
let  me  try  to  rear  it,  father.  I  daresay  cocoanut  milk  would 
do  until  we  can  bring  the  cow  and  the  goats  from  the  wreck 
If  he  lives  he  might  be  useful  to  us.  I  believe  monkeys  in» 
etinctively  know  what  fruits  are  wholesome  and  what  are 
poisonous." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "let  the  little  orphan  be  yours.  You 
bravely  and  kindly  exerted  yourself  to  save  the  mother's  life  ; 
now  you  must  train  her  child  carefully,  for  unless  you  do  so 
its  natural  instinct  will  prove  mischievous  instead  of  useful  to 
us." 

Turk  was  meanwhile  devouring  with  great  satisfaction  the 
little  animal's  unfortunate  mother.  I  could  not  grudge  it 
him,  and  continued  hunger  might  have  made  him  dangerous 
to  ourselves.  We  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  wait  until  he 
had  dined,  so  we  prepared  to  resume  our  march. 

The  tiny  ape  seated  itself  in  the  coolest  way  imaginable  on 
Fritz's  shoulder,  I  helped  to  carry  his  canes,  and  we  were  on 
some  distance  before  Turk  overtook  us,  looking  uncommon!/ 
well  pleased,  and  licking  his  chops  as  though  recalling  the 
memory  of  his  feast. 

He  took  no  notice  of  the  monkey,  but  it  was  very  uneasy 
at  sight  of  him,  and  scrambled  down  into  Fritz's  arms,  which 
was  so  inconvenient  to  him  that  he  devised  a  plan  to  relieve 
himself  of  his  burden.  Calling  Turk,  and  seriously  enjoining 
obedience,  he  seated  the  monkey  on  his  back,  securing  it  there 
with  a  cord,  and  then  putting  a  second  string  round  the  dog's 
neck  that  he  might  lead  him,  he  put  a  loop  of  the  knot  into 
the  comical  rider's  hand,  saying  gravely:  "  Having  slain  the 
parent,  Mr.  Turk,  you  will  please  to  carry  the  son." 

At  first  this  arrangement  mightily  displeased  them  both, 


THE  SWISS   FAMILY   EOBIKSOIf.  25 

but  by  and  by  they  yielded  to  it  quietly  ;  the  monkey  espe- 
cially amused  us  by  riding  along  with  the  air  of  a  person 
perfectly  at  his  case. 

"  We  look  just  like  a  couple  of  mountebanks  on  their  way 
to  a  fair  with  animals  to  exhibit,"  said  I.  "  What  an  outcry 
the  children  will  make  when  we  appear  ! " 

My  son  inquired  to  what  species  of  the  monkey  tribe  I 
thought  his  prot£g6  belonged,  which  led  to  a  good  deal  of 
talk  on  the  subject,  and  conversation  beguiling  the  way,  we 
found  ourselves  ere  long  on  the  rocky  margin  of  the  stream 
and  close  to  the  rest  of  our  party. 

Juno  was  the  first  to  be  aware  of  our  approach,  and  gave 
notice  of  it  by  loud  barking,  to  which  Turk  replied  with  such 
hearty  good  will,  that  his  little  rider,  terrified  at  the  noise  his 
steed  was  making,  slipped  from  under  the  cord  and  fled  to  his 
refuge  on  Fritz's  shoulder,  where  he  regained  his  composure 
and  settled  himself  comfortably. 

Turk,  who  by  this  time  knew  where  he  was,  finding  him* 
self  free  dashed  forward  to  rejoin  hia  friends,  and  announce 
our  coming. 

One  after  another  our  dear  ones  came  running  to  the 
opposite  bank,  testifying  in  various  ways  their  delight  at 
our  return,  and  hastening  up  on  their  side  of  the  river,  as  we 
on  ours,  to  the  ford  at  which  we  had  crossed  in  the  morning. 
We  were  quickly  on  the  other  side,  and,  full  of  joy  and  affec- 
tion, our  happy  party  was  once  more  united. 

The  boys  suddenly  perceiving  the  little  animal  which  was 
clinging  close  to  their  brother,  in  alarm  at  the  tumult  of 
Toices,  shouted  in  ecstasy  : 

"  A  monkey !  a  monkey !  oh,  how  splendid  !  Where  did  Frit* 
find  him  ?  What  may  we  give  him  to  eat  ?  Oh,  what  a  bun- 
dle of  stioks  !  Look  at  those  curious,  great  nuts  father  has  got  !n 

We  could  neither  check  this  confused  torrent  of  questions, 
nor  get  in  a  word  in  answer  to  them. 

At  length,  when  the  excitement  subsided  a  little,  I  was  able 
to  say  a  few  words  with  a  chance  of  being  listened  to.  "  I  am 
truly  thankful  to  see  you  all  safe  and  well,  and,  thank  God, 
our  expedition  has  been  very  satisfactory,  except  that  we  have 
entirely  failed  to  discover  any  trace  of  our  shipmates." 

"  If  it  be  the  will  of  God,"  said  my  wife,  "  to  leave  us  alone 
on  this  solitary  place,  let  us  be  content ;  and  rejoice  that  we 
are  all  together  in  safety." 

"  Now  we  want  to  hear  all  your  adventures,  and  let  us  re« 
lieve  you  of  your  burdens,"  added  she,  taking  my  game  bag. 


36  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

Jack  shouldered  my  gun,  Ernest  took  the  cocoannts,  and 
little  Franz  carried  the  gourds ;  Fritz  distributed  the  sugar 
canes  amongst  his  brothers,  and  handing  Ernest  his  gun  re- 
placed the  monkey  on  Turk's  back.  Ernest  soon  found  the 
burden  with  which  Fritz  had  laden  him  too  heavy  for  his  taste. 
His  mother  perceiving  this,  offered  to  relieve  him  of  part  of 
the  load.  He  gave  up  willingly  the  cocoanuts,  but  no  sooner 
had  he  done  so  than  his  elder  brother  exclaimed: 

"  Hullo,  Ernest,  you  surely  do  not  know  what  you  are  part- 
ing with  ;  did  you  really  intend  to  hand  over  those  good  co- 
coanuts without  so  much  as  tasting  them  ?  " 

"  What  ?  ho  !  are  they  really  cocoanuts  ? "  cried  Ernest. 
"  Do  let  me  take  them  again,  mother,  do  let  me  look  at  them." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  replied  my  wife  with  a  smile.  "  I  have 
DO  wish  to  see  you  again  overburdened." 

"  Oh,  but  I  have  only  to  throw  away  these  sticks,  which  are 
of  no  use,  and  then  I  can  easily  carry  them." 

"  Worse  and  worse,"  said  Fritz  ;  "  I  have  a  particular  regard 
for  those  heavy,  useless  sticks.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  sugar* 
canes  ?  " 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when  Ernest  be« 
gan  to  suck  vigorously  at  the  end  of  the  cane,  with  no  better 
result,  however,  than  Fritz  had  obtained  as  we  were  on  the 
march. 

"  Here,"  said  Fritz,  "  let  me  show  you  the  trick  of  it,"  and 
he  speedily  set  all  the  youngsters  to  work  extracting  the  lus- 
cious juice. 

My  wife,  as  a  prudent  housekeeper,  was  no  less  delighted 
than  the  children  with  this  discovery  ;  the  sight  of  the  dishes 
also  pleased  her  greatly,  for  she  longed  to  see  us  eat  once  more 
like  civilized  beings.  We  went  into  the  kitchen  and  there 
found  preparations  for  a  truly  sumptuous  meal.  Two  forked 
sticks  were  planted  in  the  ground  on  either  side  of  the  fire  ;  on 
these  rested  a  rod  from  which  hung  several  tempting  looking 
fish  ;  opposite  them  hung  a  goose  from  a  similar  contrivance, 
slowly  roasting  while  the  gravy  dropped  into  a  large  shell 
placed  beneath  it.  In  the  center  sat  the  great  pot,  from  which 
issued  the  smell  of  a  most  delicious  soup.  To  crown  this 
splendid  array,  stood  an  open  hogshead  full  of  Dutch  cheeses. 
All  this  was  very  pleasant  to  two  hungry  travelers,  but  I  was 
about  to  beg  my  wife  to  spare  the  poultry  until  our  stock 
should  have  increased,  when  she,  perceiving  my  thought,  quickly 
relieved  my  anxiety.  "  This  is  not  one  of  our  geese,"  she  said, 
"but  a  wild  bird  Ernest  killed.1* 


THB   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSOJf.  87 

**  Yes,**  said  Ernest,  "  it  is  a  penguin,  I  think ;  it  let  me  get 
quite  close,  so  that  I  knocked  it  on  the  head  with  a  stick. 
Here  are  its  head  and  feet,  which  I  preserved  to  show  you ; 
the  bill  is,  you  see,  narrow  and  curved  downward,  and  the  feet 
are  webbed.  It  had  funny  little  bits  of  useless  wings,  and  ita 
eyes  looked  so  solemnly  and  sedately  at  me  that  I  was  almost 
ashamed  to  kill  it.  Do  you  not  think  it  must  have  been  a  pen- 
guin?" 

"  I  have  little  doubt  on  the  matter,  my  boy,"  and  I  was  about 
to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  habits  of  this  bird,  when  my 
wife  interrupted  me  and  begged  us  to  come  to  dinner,  and 
continue  our  natural  history  conversation  at  some  future  time. 
We  then  sat  down  before  the  appetizing  meal  prepared  for  us, , 
our  gourds  coming  for  the  first  time  into  use,  and  having  done1 
it  full  justice,  produced  the  cocoanuts  by  way  of  dessert. 

"  Here  is  better  food  for  your  little  friend,"  said  I  to  Fritz, 
who  had  been  vainly  endeavoring  to  persuade  the  monkey  to 
taste  dainty  morsels  of  the  food  we  had  been  eating  ;  "  the  poor 
little  animal  has  been  accustomed  to  nothing  but  its  mother's 
milk  ;  fetch  me  a  saw,  one  of  you." 

I  then,  after  extracting  the  milk  of  the  nuts  from  their 
natural  holes,  carefully  cut  the  shells  in  half,  thus  providing 
several  more  useful  basins.  The  monkey  was  perfectly  satisfied 
with  the  milk,  and  eagerly  sucked  the  corner  of  a  handkerchief 
dipped  in  it.  Fritz  now  suddenly  recollected  his  delicious 
wine,  and  producing  his  flask,  begged  his  mother  to  taste  it. 
"  Try  it  first  yourself,"  said  I ;  Fritz  did  so,  and  I  instantly 
saw  by  his  countenance  that  the  liquor  had  passed  through  the 
first  stage  of  fermentation  and  had  become  vinegar. 

"Never  mind,  my  boy,"  said  my  prudent  wife,  when 
she  learned  the  cause  of  his  wry  faces,  "  we  have  wine  already, 
but  no  vinegar  ;  I  am  really  pleased  at  tAe  transformation." 

The  sun  was  now  rapidly  sinking  behind  the  horizon,  and 
the  poultry,  retiring  for  the  night,  warned  us  that  we  must 
follow  their  example.  Having  offered  up  our  prayers,  we  lay 
down  on  our  beds,  the  monkey  crouched  down  between  Jack 
and  Fritz,  and  we  were  all  soon  fast  asleep. 

We  did  not,  however,  long  enjoy  this  repose  ;  a  loud  bark- 
ing from  our  dogs,  who  were  on  guard  outside  the  tent, 
awakened  us,  and  the  fluttering  and  cackling  of  our  poultry 
warned  us  that  a  foe  was  approaching.  Fritz  and  I  sprang 
up,  and  seizing  our  guns  rushed  out.  There  we  found  a  des- 
perate combat  going  on  ;  our  gallant  dogs,  surrounded  by  a 
dozen  or  more  large  jackals,  were  fighting  bravely.  Four  of 


88  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

their  opponents  lay  dead,  but  the  others  were  in  no  way  eta 
terred  by  the  fate  of  their  comrades.  Fritz  and  I,  however, 
Bent  bullets  through  the  heads  of  a  couple  more,  and  the  rest 
galloped  off.  Turk  and  Juno  did  not  intend  that  they  should 
escape  so  cheaply,  and  pursuing  them,  they  caught,  killed,  and 
devoured  another  of  the  animals,  regardless  of  their  near  re- 
lationship. Fritz  wished  to  save  one  of  the  jackals  that  he 
might  be  able  to  show  it  to  his  brothers  in  the  morning ; 
dragging,  therefore,  the  one  that  he  had  shot  near  tne  tent,  he 
concealed  it,  and  we  once  more  returned  to  our  beds, 
•f  Soundly  and  peacefully  we  slept  until  cock-crow  next 
morning,  when  my  wife  and  I  awoke,  and  began  to  discuss  the 
business  of  the  day. 

"  It  seems  absolutely  necessary,  my  dear  wife,"  I  began. 
*£to  return  at  once  to  the  wreck  while  it  is  yet  calm,  that  we 
may  save  the  poor  animals  left  there,  and  bring  on  shore  many 
articles  of  infinite  value  to  us,  which,  if  we  do  not  now  recover, 
we  may  finally  lose  entirely.  On  the  other  hand,  I  feel  that 
there  is  an  immense  deal  to  be  done  on  shore,  and  that  I  ought 
not  to  leave  you  in  such  an  insecure  shelter  as  this  tent." 

"  Return  to  the  wreck  by  all  means,"  replied  my  wife,  cheer- 
fully. "  Patience,  order,  and  perseverance  will  help  us  through 
all  our  work,  and  I  agree  with  you  that  a  visit  to  the  wreck  is 
without  doubt  our  first  duty.  Come,  let  us  wake  the  children, 
and  set  to  work  without  delay." 

They  were  soon  roused,  and  Fritz,  overcoming  his  drowsiness 
before  the  others,  ran  out  for  his  jackal ;  it  was  cold  and  stiff 
from  the  night  air,  and  he  placed  it  on  its  legs  before  the  tent, 
in  a  most  life-like  attitude,  and  stood  by  to  watch  the  effect 
npon  the  family.  The  dogs  were  the  first  to  perceive  their 
anemy,  and  growling,  seemed  inclined  to  dispose  of  the  animal 
is  they  had  disposed  of  its  brethren  in  the  night,  but  Frit?: 
Balled  them  off.  The  noise  the  dogs  made,  however,  had  the 
effect  of  bringing  out  the  younger  children,  and  many  were 
-,he  exclamations  they  made  at  the  sight  of  the  strange 
sinimal. 

"  A  jellow  dog ! "  cried  Franz. 

"A  wolf !  "  exclaimed  Jack. 

"  It  is  a  striped  fox,"  said  Ernest. 

*  Hullo,"  said  Fritz.  "  The  greatest  men  may  make  mis- 
takes. Our  Professor  does  not  know  a  jackal  when  he  sees 
one." 

"  But  really,"  continued  Ernest,  examining  the  animal,  "  I 
think  it  is  a  fox." 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBHTSOir.  99 

"Very  well,  very  well,"  retorted  Fritz,  "no  doubt  you 
know  better  than  your  father  !  He  thinks  it  is  a  jackal." 

"  Come,  boys,"  said  I, "  no  more  of  this  quarreling  ;  you  are 
none  of  you  very  far  wrong,  for  the  jackal  partakes  of  the 
nature  of  all  three,  dog,  wolf,  and  fox." 

The  monkey  had  come  out  on  Jack's  shoulder,  but  no  sooner 
did  it  catch  sight  of  the  jackal,  than  it  fled  precipitately  back 
into  the  tent,  and  hid  itself  in  a  heap  of  moss  until  nothing 
was  visible  but  the  tip  of  its  little  nose.  Jack  soothed  and 
comforted  the  frightened  little  animal,  and  I  then  summoned 
them  all  to  prayers,  soon  after  which  we  began  our  breakfast. 
So  severely  had  we  dealt  with  our  supper  the  previous  night 
that  we  had  little  to  eat  but  the  biscuits,  which  were  so  dry 
and  hard,  that,  hungry  as  we  were,  we  could  not  swallow  much. 
Fritz  and  I  took  some  cheese  to  help  them  down,  while  my 
wife  and  younger  sons  soaked  theirs  in  water.  Ernest  roamed 
down  to  the  shore,  and  looked  about  for  shell-fish.  Presently 
he  returned  with  a  few  whelks.  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "  if  we  had 
but  some  butter."  "My  good  boy,"  I  replied,  "your  per- 
petual IP,  IF,  quite  annoys  me;  why  do  you  not  sit  down  and 
eat  cheese  like  the  rest  of  us."  "  Not  while  I  can  get  butter," 
he  said  ;  "  see  here,  father,"  and  he  pointed  to  a  large  cask, 
"  that  barrel  contains  butter  of  some  sort  or  another,  for  it  is 
oozing  out  at  the  end." 

"  Really,  Ernest,"  I  said,  "  we  are  indebted  to  you.  I  will 
open  the  cask."  So  saying,  I  took  a  knife  and  carefully  cut  a 
small  hole,  so  that  I  could  extract  the  butter  without  expos- 
ing the  mass  of  it  to  the  effects  of  the  air  and  heat.  Filling 
a  cocoanut  shell,  we  once  more  sat  down,  and  toasting  our  bis- 
cuits before  the  fire,  spread  them  with  the  good  Dutch  butter. 
We  found  this  vastly  better  than  the  dry  biscuits,  and  while 
we  were  thus  employed  I  noticed  that  the  two  dogs  were  lying 
unusually  quiet  by  my  side.  I  at  first  attributed  this  drow- 
siness to  their  large  meal  during  the  night,  but  I  soon  dis-' 
covered  that  it  arose  from  a  different  cause  ;  the  faithful  ani- 
mals had  not  escaped  unhurt  from  their  late  combat,  but  had 
received  several  deep  and  painful  wounds,  especially  about  the 
neck.  The  dogs  began  to  lick  each  other  on  the  places  vhich 
they  could  not  reach  with  their  own  tougues,  and  my  wife 
carefully  dressed  the  wounds  with  butter,  from  which  she  had 
extracted  the  salt  by  washing. 

A  sudden  thought  now  struck  Ernest,  and  he  wisely  re- 
marked, that  if  we  were  to  make  spiked  collars  for  the  dogs, 
they  would  in  future  escape  such  dangerous  wounds.  "  Oh, 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY 

yes,"  exclaimed  Jack,  "  and  I  will  make  them;  may  I  noL 
father  ?  " 

"  Try,  by  all  means,  my  little  fellow,"  said  I, "  and  persuade 
your  mother  to  assist  you ;  and  now,  Fritz,"  I  continued,  "  we 
must  be  starting,  for  you  and  I  are  to  make  a  trip  to  the 
wreck."  I  begged  the  party  who  were  to  remain  on  shore  to 
keep  together  as  much  as  possible,  and  having  arranged  a  set 
of  signals  with  my  wife,  that  we  might  exchange  communica- 
tions,  asked  a  blessing  on  our  enterprise.  I  erected  a  signal 
post,  and,  while  Fritz  was  making  preparations  for  our  depar* 
ture,  hoisted  a  strip  of  sailcloth  as  a  flag  ;  this  flag  was  to  re- 
main  hoisted  so  long  as  all  was  well  on  shore,  but  should  our 
return  be  desired,  three  shots  were  to  be  fired  and  the  flaff 
lowered. 

All  was  now  ready,  and  warning  my  wife  that  we  might 
find  it  necessary  to  remain  all  night  on  the  vessel,  we  tenderly 
bade  adieu  and  embarked.  Except  our  guns  and  ammunition, 
we  were  taking  nothing,  that  we  might  leave  as  much  space  as 
possible  for  the  stowage  of  a  large  cargo.  Fritz,  however, 
had  resolved  to  bring  his  little  monkey,  that  he  might  obtaim 
milk  for  it  as  soon  as  possible.  We  had  not  got  far  from  the 
shore,  when  I  perceived  that  a  current  from  the  river  set  in  di- 
rectly for  the  vessel,  and  though  my  nautical  knowledge  was 
not  great,  I  succeeded  in  steering  the  boat  into  the  favorable 
stream,  which  carried  us  nearly  three-fourths  of  our  pas- 
sage with  little  or  no  trouble  to  ourselves  ;  then,  by  dint  of 
hard  pulling,  we  accomplished  the  whole  distance,  and  enter- 
ing through  the  breach,  gladly  made  fast  our  boat  and  stepped 
on  board.  Our  first  ;care  was  to  see  the  animals,  who  greeted 
us  with  joy — lowing,  bellowing,  and  bleating  as  we  ap- 
proached ;  not  that  the  poor  beasts  were  hungry,  for  they  were 
all  still  well  supplied  with  food,  but  they  were  apparently 

E leased  by  the  mere  sight  of  human  beings.  Fritz  then  placed 
is  monkey  by  one  of  the  goats,  and  the  little  animal  imme- 
diately sucked  the  milk  with  evident  relish,  chattering  and 
grinning  all  the  while  ;  the  monkey  provided  for,  we  refreshed 
ourselves  with  some  wine  and  biscuits.  "  Now,"  said  I,  "  we 
have  plenty  to  do  ;  where  shall  we  begin  ?  " 

"  Let  us  fix  a  mast  and  sail  to  our  boat,"  answered  Fritz ; 
"for  the  current  which  brought  us  out  will  not  take  us  back, 
whereas  the  fresh  breeze  we  met  would  help  us  immensely 
pad  we  but  a  sail." 

"Capital  thought,"  I  replied;  "let  us  set  to  work  at 
once." 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBfNSOlT.  SI 

I  chose  a  stout  spar  to  serve  as  a  mast,  and  having  made  a 
hole  in  a  plank  nailed  across  one  of  the  tubs,  we,  with  the 
help  of  a  rope  and  a  couple  of  blocks,  stepped  it  and  secured 
it  with  stays.  We  then  discovered  a  lug-sail,  which  had  be- 
longed to  one  of  the  ships'  boats  ;  this  we  hoisted  ;  and  our 
craft  was  ready  to  sail.  Fritz  begged  me  to  decorate  the 
masthead  with  a  red  streamer,  to  give  our  vessel  a  more 
finished  appearance.  Smiling  at  this  childish  but  natural 
Yanity,  I  complied  with  his  request.  I  then  contrived  a  rudder, 
that  I  might  be  able  to  steer  the  boat ;  for  though  I  knew  that 
an  oar  would  serve  the  purpose,  it  was  cumbrous  and  incon- 
venient. While  I  was  thus  employed,  Fritz  examined  the 
shore  with  his  glass,  and  soon  announced  that  the  flag  was 
flying  and  all  was  well. 

So  much  time  had  now  slipped  away  that  we  found  we 
could  not  return  that  night,  as  I  had  wished.  We  signaled 
our  intention  of  remaining  on  board,  and  then  spent  the  rest 
of  our  time  in  taking  out  the  stones  we  had  placed  in  the  boat 
for  ballast,  and  stowed  in  their  place  heavy  articles  of  value 
to  us.  The  ship  had  sailed  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  a 
young  colony,  she  had  therefore  on  board  every  conceivable 
article  we  could  desire  in  our  present  situation  ;  our  only 
difficulty,  indeed,  was  to  make  a  wise  selection.  A  large  quan- 
tity of  powder  and  shot  we  first  secured,  and  as  Fritz  con- 
sidered that  we  could  not  have  too  many  weapons,  we  added 
three  excellent  guns,  and  a  whole  armful  of  swords,  daggers, 
and  knives.  We  remembered  that  knives  and  forks  were 
necessary,  we  therefore  laid  in  a  large  stock  of  them,  and 
kitchen  utensils  of  all  sorts.  Exploring  the  captain's  cabin, 
we  discovered  a  service  of  silver  plate  and  a  cellaret  of  good 
old  wine  ;  we  then  went  over  the  stores,  and  supplied  our- 
selves with  potted  meats,  portable  soups,  Westphalian  hams, 
sausages,  a  bag  of  maize  and  wheat,  and  a  quantity  of  other 
seeds  and  vegetables.  I  then  added  a  barrel  of  sulphur  for 
matches,  and  as  much  cordage  as  I  could  find.  All  this — with 
nails,  tools,  and  agricultural  implements — completed  our  cargo, 
and  sank  our  boat  so  low  that  I  should  have  been  obliged  to 
lighten  her  had  not  the  sea  been  calm. 

Night  drew  on,  and  a  large  fire,  lighted  by  those  on  shore, 
showed  us  that  all  was  well.  We  replied  by  hoisting  four 
ship's  lanterns,  and  two  shots  announced  to  us  that  our  signal 
was  perceived  ;  then,  with  a  heartfelt  prayer  for  the  safety 
of  our  dear  ones  on  shore,  we  retired  to  our  boat,  and  Fritz,  at 
all  events,  was  soon  sound  asleep.  For  a  while  I  could  not 


32  -    THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBIN&'ON. 

sleep  ;  the  thought  of  my  wife  and  children — alone  and  unpro- 
tected,  save  by  the  great  dogs— disturbed  my  rest. 

The  night  at  length  passed  away.  At  daybreak  Fritz  and 
I  arose  and  went  on  deck.  I  brought  the  telescope  to  bear 
upon  the  shore,  and  with  pleasure  saw  the  flag  still  waving  in- 
the  morning  breeze ;  while  I  kept  the  glass  directed  to  the 
land,  I  saw  the  door  of  the  tent  open,  and  my  wife  appear  and 
look  steadfastly  toward  us. 

I  at  once  hoisted  a  white  flag,  and  in  reply  the  flag  OP  shorf 
was  thrice  dipped.  Oh,  what  a  weight  seemed  lifted  from  my 
heart  as  I  saw  the  signal ! 

"  Fritz,"  I  said,  "  I  am  not  now  in  such  haste  to  get  back, 
and  begin  to  feel  compassion  for  all  these  poor  beasts.  I  wish 
we  could  devise  some  means  for  getting  them  on  shore." 

"We  might  make  a  raft,"  suggested  Fritz,  "  and  take  off  one 
or  two  at  a  time." 

"  True,"  I  replied  ;  "  it  is  easy  enough  to  say, '  make  a  raft,* 
but  to  do  it  is  quite  another  thing." 

"  Well,"  said  Fritz,  "  I  can  think  of  nothing  else,  unless 
indeed  we  make  them  such  swimming  belts  as  you  made  for 
the  children." 

"  Really,  my  boy,  that  idea  is  worth  having.  I  am  not  jok- 
ing, indeed,"  I  continued,  as  I  saw  him  smile  ;  "  we  may  get 
every  one  of  the  animals  ashore  in  that  way." 

So  saying,  I  caught  a  fine  sheep,  and  proceeded  to  put  our 
plan  into  execution.  I  first  fastened  a  broad  piece  of  linen 
round  its  belly,  and  to  this  attached  some  corks  and  empty  tins  ; 
then,  with  Fritz's  help,  I  flung  the  animal  into  the  sea — it  sank, 
but  a  moment  afterward  rose  and  floated  famously. 

"  Hurrah  I  "  exclaimed  Fritz,  "  we  will  treat  them  all  like 
that."  We  then  rapidly  caught  the  other  animals  and  pro- 
vided them,  one  after  the  other,  with  a  similar  contrivance. 
The  cow  and  ass  gave  us  more  trouble  than  did  the  others,  as 
for  them  we  required  something  more  bouyant  than  the  mere 
•ork  ;  we  at  last  found  some  empty  casks  and  fastened  two  to 
«ach  animal  by  thongs  passed  under  its  belly.  This  done,  the 
whole  herd  were  ready  to  start,  and  we  brought  the  ass  to  one 
of  the  ports  to  be  the  first  to  be  launched.  After  some  maneuver- 
ing we  got  him  in  a  convenient  position,  and  then  a  sudden 
heave  sent  him  plunging  into  the  sea.  He  sank,  and  then, 
bouyed  up  by  the  casks,  emerged  head  and  back  from  the 
water.  The  cow,  sheep,  and  goats  followed  him  one  after  the 
other,  and  then  the  sow  alone  remained.  She  seemed,  however, 
determined  not  to  leave  the  ship  ;  she  kicked,  struggled,  and 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOW.  33 

squealed  so  violently,  that  I  really  thought  we  should  be 
obliged  to  abandon  her  ;  at  length,  after  much  trouble,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  sending  her  out  of  the  port  after  the  others,  and  when 
once  in  the  water,  such  was  the  old  lady's  energy  that  she 
quickly  distanced  them,  and  was  the  first  to  reach  the  shore. 

We  had  fastened  to  the  horns  or  neck  of  each  animal  a* 
cord  with  a  float  attached  to  the  end,  and  now  embarking,  we 
gathered  up  these  floats,  set  sail,  and  steered  for  shore,  draw- 
ing our  herd  after  us. 

Delighted  with  the  successful  accomplishment  of  our  task, 
we  got  out  some  biscuits  and  enjoyed  a  midday  meal ;  then, 
while  Fritz  amused  himself  with  his  monkey,  I  took  up  my 
glass  and  tried  to  make  out  how  our  dear  ones  on  shore  were 
employing  themselves.  As  I  was  thus  engaged,  a  sudden 
shout  from  Fritz  suprised  me.  I  glanced  up  ;  there  stood 
Fritz  with  his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  pointing  it  at  a  huge 
shark  ;  the  monster  was  making  for  one  of  the  finest  sheep  ; 
he  turned  on  his  side  to  seize  his  prey  ;  as  the  white  of  his 
belly  appeared  Fritz  fired.  The  shot  took  effect,  and  our 
enemy  disappeared,  leaving  a  trace  of  blood  on  the  calm  water. 

"  Well  done,  my  boy,"  I  cried,  "  you  will  become  a  crack 
shot  one  of  these  days ;  but  I  trust  you  will  not  often  have 
such  dangerous  game  to  shoot."  Fritz's  eyes  sparkled  at  his 
success  and  my  praise,  and  reloading  his  gun  carefully  watched 
the  water.  But  the  shark  did  not  again  appear,  and,  borne 
onward  by  the  breeze,  we  quickly  neared  the  shore.  Steering 
the  boat  to  a  convenient  landing  place,  I  cast  off  the  ropes 
which  secured  the  animals,  and  let  them  get  ashore  as  best 
they  might. 

There  was  no  sign  of  my  wife  or  children  when  we  stepped 
on  land,  but  a  few  moments  afterward  they  appeared,  and 
with  a  shout  of  joy  ran  toward  us.  We  were  thankful  to  be 
once  more  united,  and  after  asking  and  replying  to  a  few  pre- 
liminary questions,  proceeded  to  release  our  herd  from  their 
swimming  belts,  which,  though  so  useful  in  the  water,  were 
exceedingly  inconvenient  on  shore.  My  wife  was  astonished  at 
the  apparatus. 

"  How  clever  you  are  !"  said  she. 

"  I  am  not  the  inventor,"  I  replied  ;  "  the  honor  is  due  to 
Fritz.  He  not  only  thought  of  this  plan  for  bringing  off  the 
animals,  but  saved  one,  at  least,  of  them  from  a  most  fearful 
death  "  And  I  then  told  them  how  bravely  he  had  encoun- 
tered the  shark. 

My  wife  was  delighted  with  her  eon's  success,  but  declared 


84  THB   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBrNSOlT. 

that  she  would  dread  our  trips  to  the  vessel  more  than  ever, 
knowing  that  such  savage  fish  inhabited  the  waters. 

Fritz,  Ernest,  and  I  began  the  work  of  unloading  our  craft, 
while  Jack,  seeing  that  the  poor  donkey  was  still  encumbered 
with  his  swimming  belt,  tried  to  free  him  from  it.  But  the 
donkey  would  not  stand  quiet,  and  the  child's  fingers  were  not 
strong  enough  to  loosen  the  cordage ;  finally,  therefore,  he 
scrambled  upon  the  animal's  back,  and  urging  him  on  with 
hand  and  foot,  trotted  toward  us. 

"  Come,  my  boy,"  I  said,  "  no  one  must  be  idle  here,  even 
for  a  moment ;  you  will  have  riding  practice  enough  hereafter  ; 
dismount  and  come  and  help  us." 

Jack  was  soon  on  his  feet.  "  But  I  have  not  been  idle  all 
day,"  he  said  ;  "  look  here  ! "  and  he  pointed  to  a  belt  round 
his  waist.  It  was  a  broad  belt  of  yellow  hair,  in  which  he  had 
stuck  a  couple  of  pistols  and  a  knife.  "  And  see,"  he  added, 
"  what  have  I  made  for  the  dogs.  Here,  Juno !  Turk ! "  the  dogs 
came  bounding  up  at  his  call,  and  I  saw  that  they  were  each 
supplied  with  a  collar  of  the  same  skin,  in  which  were  fas- 
tened nails,  which  bristled  round  their  necks  in  a  most  formid- 
able manner. 

"  Capital,  capital !  my  boy,"  said  I,  "  but  where  did  you  get 
your  materials,  and  who  helped  you  ?  " 

"  Except  in  cutting  the  skin,"  said  my  wife,  "  he  had  no 
assistance,  and  as  for  the  materials,  Fritz's  jackal  supplied  us 
with  the  skin,  and  the  needles  and  thread  came  out  of  my 
wonderful  bag.  You  little  think  how  many  useful  things 
may  be  had  from  that  same  bag  ;  it  is  woman's  duty  and 
nature,  you  know,  to  see  after  trifles." 

Fritz  evidently  did  not  approve  of  the  use  to  which  his 
jackal's  hide  had  been  devoted,  and  holding  his  nose,  begged 
his  little  brother  to  keep  at  a  distance  ;  "  Really,  Jack, "  he 
said,  "  you  should  have  cured  the  hide  before  you  used  it ;  the 
smell  is  disgusting  ;  don't  come  near  me." 

"  It's  not  the  hide  that  smells  at  all, "  retorted  Jack,  "  it  is 
.^our  nasty  jackal  itself,  that  you  left  in  the  sun." 

"  Now,  boys, "  said  I,  "  no  quarreling  here  ;  do  you, 
Jack,  help  your  brother  to  drag  the  carcass  to  the  sea,  and 
if  your  belt  smells  after  that  you  must  take  it  off  and  dry  it 
better." 

The  jackal  was  dragged  off,  and  we  then  finished  our  work 
of  unloading  our  boat.  When  this  was  accomplished  we 
started  for  our  tent,  and  finding  no  preparation  for  supper,  I 
said,  "  Fritz,  let  us  have  a  Westphattan  ham." 


*  Ernest,  '*  said  my  wife,  smiling,  "  let  us  see  if  we  cannot 
«onjure  up  some  eggs." 

Fritz  got  out  a  splendid  ham  and  carried  it  to  his  mother 
triumphantly,  while  Ernest  set  before  me  a  dozen  white  balls 
with  parchment-like  coverings. 

"  Turtles'  eggs  ! "  said  I.  "  Well  done,  Ernest !  where  did 
jou  get  them  ?  " 

"  That, "  replied  my  wife, "  shall  be  told  in  due  course  when 
we  relate  our  adventures  ;  now  we  will  see  what  they  will  do 
toward  making  a  supper  for  you ;  with  these  and  your  ham  I 
do  not  think  we  shall  starve." 

Leaving  my  wife  to  prepare  supper,  we  returned  to  the  shore 
and  brought  up  what  of  the  cargo  we  had  left  there  ;  then, 
having  collected  our  herd  of  animals,  we  returned  to  the  tent. 

The  meal  which  awaited  us  was  as  unlike  the  first  sup. 
per  we  had  there  enjoyed  as  possible.  My  wife  had  im- 
provised a  table  of  a  board  laid  on  two  casks ;  on  sthis  wai 
spread  a  white  damask  tablecloth,  on  which  were  placed 
knives,  forks,  spoons,  and  plates  for  each  person.  A  tureen  of 
good  soup  first  appeared,  followed  by  a  capital  omelette,  then 
slices  of  the  ham  ;  and  finally  some  Dutch  cheese,  butter,  and 
biscuits,  with  a  bottle  of  the  captain's  Canary  wine,  completed 
the  repast. 

While  we  thus  regaled  ourselves,  I  related  to  my  wife  our 
adventures,  and  then  begged  she  would  remember  her  promise 
and  tell  me  all  that  had  happened  in  my  absence. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  mother  relates  her  adventures — Proposes  that  we  should  build  a 
nest — How  Jack  treated  the  jackal  skin — How  the  boys  were  sur- 
prised by  a  bustard — How  they  found  the  mangrove  tree — How  the 
dogs  caught  the  crabs — We  discuss  the  possibility  of  making  a  house 
in  the  tree — To  bed  once  more — We  start  for  the  wreck — The  shark 
again — Return  to  land — Franz's  craw-fish — Bridge  building — We 
pack  up — A  family  removing  in  patriarchal  style — A  prickly  enemy — 
Jack  shoots  it — We  reach  our  new  Lome — Fritz  rids  our  poultry  of 
an  enemy — Little  Franz  finds  the  figs — Dinner — We  prepare  mater- 
ials for  our  nest — Flamingoes — Roast  and  tame — The  use  of  trigo- 
nometry— A  cord  carried  over  the  bough — The  rope  ladder  made — 
We  mount  our  tree — Sleep  under  the  roots — The  building  of  the 
nest — Retire  to  roost  for  the  first  time. 

"  I  WILL  spare  you  a  description,"  said  my  wife,  "  of  our  first 
day's  occupations  ;  truth  to  tellj  I  spent  the  time  chiefly  in 
anxious  thought  and  watching  your  progress  and  signals.  I 


86  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

rose  very  early  this  morning,  and  with  the  utmost  joy  perceiv- 
ing your  signal  that  all  was  right,  hastened  to  reply  to  it,  and 
then,  while  my  sons  yet  slumbered,  I  sat  down  and  began  to 
consider  how  our  position  could  be  improved.  '  For  it  is  per- 
fectly impossible,'  said  I  to  myself, '  to  live  much  longer  where 
we  are  now.  The  sun  beats  burningly  the  lifelong  day  on 
this  bare,  rocky  spot;  our  only  shelter  is  this  poor  tent,  beneath 
the  canvas  of  which  the  heat  is  even  more  oppressive  than  on 
the  open  shore.  Why  should  not  I  and  my  little  boys  exert 
ourselves  as  well  as  my  husband  and  Fritz  ?  Why  should  not 
we  too  try  to  accomplish  something  useful  ?  If  we  could  but 
exchange  this  melancholy  and  unwholesome  abode  for  a  pleas- 
ant, shady  dwelling  place,  we  should  all  improve  in  health  and 
spirits.  Among  those  delightful  woods  and  groves  where 
Fritz  and  his  father  saw  so  many  charming  things,  I  feel  sure 
there  must  be  some  little  retreat  where  we  could  establish  our- 
selves comfortably  ;  there  must  be,  and  I  will  find  it.* 

"  By  this  time  the  boys  were  up,  and  I  observed  Jack  very 
quietly  and  busily  occupied  with  his  knife  about  the  spot  where 
Fritz's  jackal  lay.  Watching  his  proceedings,  I  saw  that  he 
had  cut  two  long,  narrow  strips  of  the  animal's  skin,  which  he 
cleaned  and  scraped  very  carefully,  and  then  taking  a  handful 
of  great  nails  out  of  his  pocket,  he  stuck  them  through  the 
skin,  points  outward,  after  which  he  cut  strips  of  canvas 
sailcloth,  twice  as  broad  as  the  throngs,  doubled  them,  and 
laid  them  on  the  raw  side  of  the  skin,  so  as  to  cover  the  broad, 
flat  nail  heads.  At  this  point  of  the  performance,  Master  Jack 
came  to  me  with  the  agreeable  request  that  I  would  kindly 
stitch  the  canvas  and  (moist)  skin  together  for  him.  I  gave 
him  needles  and  thread,  but  could  not  think  of  depriving  him 
of  the  pleasure  of  doing  it  himself. 

"  However,  when  I  saw  how  good-humoredly  he  persevered 
in  the  work  with  his  awkward,  unskillful  fingers,  I  took  pity  on 
him,  and  conquering  the  disgust  I  felt,  finished  lining  the  skin 
dog-collars  he  had  so  ingeniously  contrived.  After  this,  I 
was  called  upon  to  complete  in  the  same  way  a  fine  belt  of 
skin  he  had  made  for  himself.  I  advised  him  to  think  of  some 
means  by  which  the  skin  »ight  be  kept  from  shrinking. 

"Ernest,  although  rather  treating  Jack's  manufacture  with 
ridicule,  proposed  a  sensible  enough  plan,  which  Jack  forth- 
with put  into  execution.  He  nailed  the  skin,  stretched  flat, 
on  a  board,  and  put  it  in  the  sun  to  dry. 

"  My  scheme  of  a  journey  was  agreed  to  joyously  by  mj 
young  companions.  Preparations  were  instantly  set  on  foot  I 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSO1T.  87 

weapons  and  provisions  provided ;  the  two  elder  boys  carrying 
guns,  while  they  gave  me  charge  of  the  water  flask,  and  a 
small  hatchet. 

"  Leaving  everything  in  as  good  order  as  we  could  at  the 
tent,  we  proceeded  toward  the  stream,  accompanied  by  the 
dogs.  Turk,  who  had  accompanied  you  on  your  first  expedi- 
tion, seemed  immediately  to  understand  that  we  wished  to 
pursue  the  same  route,  and  proudly  led  the  way. 

"  As  I  looked  at  my  two  young  sons,  each  with  his  gun,  and 
considered  how  much  the  safety  of  the  party  depended  on 
these  little  fellows,  I  felt  grateful  to  you,  dear  husband,  for 
having  acquainted  them  in  childhood  with  the  use  of  Srearms. 

"  Filling  our  water- jar,  we  crossed  the  stream,  and  went  OH 
to  the  height,  from  whence,  as  you  described,  a  lovely  pros- 
pect is  obtained,  at  the  sight  of  which  a  pleasurable  sensation 
of  buoyant  hope,  to  which  I  had  long  been  a  stranger,  awoke 
within  my  breast. 

"  A  pretty  little  wood  in  the  distance  attracted  my  notice 
particularly,  and  thither  we  directed  our  course.  But  soon 
finding  it  impossible  to  force  our  way  through  the  tall,  strong 

frass,  which  grew  in  dense  luxuriance  higher  than  the  children's 
eads,  we  turned  toward  the  open  beach  on  our  left,  and  fol- 
lowing it,  we  reached  a  point  much  nearer  the  little  wood, 
when,  quitting  the  strand,  we  made  toward  it. 

"  We  had  not  entirely  escaped  the  tall  grass,  however,  and 
with  the  utmost  fatigue  and  difficulty,  were  struggling  through, 
the  reeds,  when  suddenly  a  great  rushing  noise  terrified  us  all 
dreadfully.  A  very  large  and  powerful  bird  sprang  upward 
on  the  wing.  Both  boys  attempted  to  take  aim,  but  the  bird 
was  far  away  before  they  were  ready  to  fire. 

"  *  Oh,  dear,  what  a  pity ! '  exclaimed  Ernest ;  'now  if  I  had 
only  had  my  light  gun,  and  if  the  bird  had  not  flown  quite  so 
fast,  I  should  have  brought  him  down  directly  ! ' 

"'Oh  yes,'  said  I,  'no  doubt  you  would  be  a  capital  sports- 
man, if  only  your  game  would  always  give  you  time  to  make 
ready  comfortably.' 

" '  But  I  had  no  notion  that  anything  was  going  to  fly  up 
just  at  our  feet  like  that,'  cried  he. 

"'A  good  shot,'  I  replied,  '  must  be  prepared  for  surprises ; 
neither  wild  birds  nor  wild  beasts  will  send  you  notice  that 
they  are  about  to  fly  or  to  run.' 

" '  What  sort  of  bird  can  it  have  been  ?  '  inquired  Jack. 

" '  Ok,  it  certainly  must  have  been  an  eagle,'  answered 
Ettle  Franz, '  it  was  so  very  big  I ' 


86  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBHTSOir. 

"'Just as  if  every  big  bird  must  be  an  eagle  !'  replied 
Ernest,  in  a  tone  of  derision. 

" '  Let's  see  where  he  was  sitting,  at  all  events  ! '  said  L 

"Jack  sprang  toward  the  place,  and  instantly  a  second 
bird,  rather  larger  than  the  first,  rushed  upward  into  the  air, 
with  a  most  startling  noise. 

"The  boys  stood  staring  upward,  perfectly  stupefied, 
while  I  laughed  heartily,  saying,  *  Well,  you  are  first-rate 
sportsmen,  to  be  sure  !  You  certainly  will  keep  my  larder 
famously  well  supplied  ! ' 

"  At  this,  Ernest  colored  up,  and  looked  inclined  to  cry, 
while  Jack  put  on  a  comical  face,  pulled  off  his  cap,  and  with 
a  low  bow,  called  after  the  fugitive  : 

" '  Adieu  for.  the  present,  sir !  I  live  in  hopes  of  another 
meeting ! ' 

"  On  searching  the  ground  carefully,  we  discovered  a  rude 
sort  of  nest  made  untidily  of  dry  grass.  It  was  empty, 
although  we  perceived  broken  egg  shells  at  no  great  distance, 
and  concluded  that  the  young  brood  had  escaped  among  the 
grass,  which,  in  fact,  we  could  see  was  waving  at  a  little 
distance,  as  the  little  birds  ran  through  it. 

"  *  Now  look  here,  Franz,'  said  Ernest,  presently,  '  just  con- 
sider how  this  bird  could  by  any  possibility  have  been  an 
eagle.  Eagles  never  build  on  the  ground,  neither  can  their 
young  leave  the  nest  and  run  as  soon  as  they  are  out  of  the 
egg.  That  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  gallinaceous  tribe  of  birds 
alone,  to  which  then  these  must  belong.  The  species,  I  think, 
is  indicated  by  the  white  belly  and  dull  red  color  of  the  wing 
coverts  which  I  observed  in  these  specimens,  and  I  believe 
them  to  be  bustards,  especially  as  I  noticed  in  the  largest  the 
fine  mustache-like  feathers  over  the  beak,  peculiar  to  the 
great  bustard.* 

"  '  My  dear  boy  ! '  I  said, '  your  eyes  were  actively  employed, 
I  must  confess,  if  your  fingers  were  unready  with  the  gun. 
And  after  all,  it  is  just  as  well,  perhaps,  that  we  have  not 
thrown  the  bustard's  family  into  mourning.' 

"  Thus  chatting,  we  at  length  approached  my  pretty  wood. 
Numbers  of  birds  fluttered  and  sang  among  the  high  branches, 
but  I  did  not  encourage  the  boys  in  their  wish  to  try  to  shoot 
any  of  the  happy  little  creatures.  We  were  lost  in  admiration 
of  the  trees  of  this  grove,  and  I  cannot  describe  to  you  how 
wonderful  they  are,  nor  can  you  form  the  least  idea  of  their 
enormous  size  without  seeing  them  yourself.  What  we  had 
been  calling  a  wood  proved  to  be  a  group  of  about  a  dozen 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON1.  89 

trees  only,  and,  what  was  strange,  the  roots  sustained  the 
massive  trunks  exalted  in  the  air,  forming  strong  arches,  and 
props  and  stays  all  around  each  individual  stem,  which  was 
firmly  rooted  in  the  center. 

"  I  gave  Jack  some  twine,  and  scrambling  up  one  of  the 
curious  open-air  roots,  he  succeeded  in  measuring  round  the 
trunk  itself,  and  made  it  out  to  be  about  eighteen  yards.  I  saw 
no  sort  of  fruit,  but  the  foliage  is  thick  and  abundant,  throw- 
ing delicious  shade  on  the  ground  beneath,  which  is  carpeted 
with  soft  green  herbage,  and  entirely  free  from  thorns,  briars,  or 
bushes  of  any  kind.  It  is  the  most  charming  resting  place 
that  ever  was  seen,  and  I  and  the  boys  enjoyed  our  midday 
meal  immensely  in  this  glorious  palace  of  the  woods,  so  grate- 
ful to  our  senses  after  the  glare  and  heat  of  our  journey  thither. 
The  dogs  joined  us  after  a  while.  They  had  lingered  behind 
on  the  sea-shore,  and  I  was  surprised  to  see  them  lie  down  and 
go  comfortably  to  sleep  without  begging  for  food,  as  they  do 
usually  when  we  eat. 

"  The  longer  we  remained  in  this  enchanting  place,  the  more 
did  it  charm  my  fancy  ;  and  if  we  could  but  manage  to  live  in 
some  sort  of  dwelling  up  among  the  branches  of  those  grand, 
noble  trees,  I  should  feel  perfectly  safe  and  happy.  It  seemed  to 
me  absurd  to  suppose  we  should  ever  find  another  place  half 
BO  lovely,  so  I  determined  to  search  no  further,  but  return 
to  the  beach  and  see  if  anything  from  the  wreck  had  been 
cast  np  by  the  waves,  which  we  could  carry  away  with 
us. 

"  Before  starting,  Jack  persuaded  me  to  sit  quietly  a  little 
longer,  and  finish  making  his  belt  and  the  spike-collars  for  the 
dogfy  for  you  must  know  that  the  child  had  actually  been 
carrying  the  board  on  which  these  were  stretched  all  this  time, 
so  that  they  should  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  sun.  As  they  were 
now  quite  dry,  I  completed  them  easily,  and  Jack  girded  on 
the  belt  with  great  pride,  placing  his  pistols  in  it,  and  march- 
ing about  in  the  most  self-important  style,  while  Ernest  fitted 
the  collars  on  the  two  dogs. 

"  On  reaching  the  shore,  we  found  it  strewed  with  many 
articles,  doubtless  of  value,  but  all  too  heavy  for  us  to  lift. 
We  rolled  some  casks,  however,  beyond  high-water  mark,  and 
dragged  a  chest  or  two  also  higher  on  the  beach  ;  and,  while 
doing  so,  observed  that  our  dogs  were  busy  among  the  rocks. 
They  were  carefully  watching  the  crevices  and  pools,  and 
every  now  and  then  would  pounce  downward  and  seize  some* 
thing  which  they  swallowed  with  apparent  relish. 


40  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

"  *  They  are  eating  crabs,'  said  Jack.  '  No  wonder  they 
have  not  seemed  hungry  lately.' 

"And,  sure  enough,  they  were  catching  the  little  green 
crabs  with  which  the  water  abounded.  These,  however,  did 
not  apparently  entirely  satisfy  them. 

"  Some  time  afterward,  just  as  we  were  about  to  turn  in- 
land toward  the  ford,  we  noticed  that  Juno  was  scraping  in 
the  sand,  and  turning  up  some  round  substances,  which  she 
hastily  devoured.  Ernest  went  to  see  what  these  were,  and 
reported  in  his  calm  way  that  the  dog  had  found  turtles'  eggs. ' 

"'Oh,'  cried  I,  'then  let  us  by  all  means  share  in  the 
booty  ! '  Mrs.  Juno,  however,  did  not  at  all  approve  of  this, 
and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  we  drove  her  aside 
while  we  gathered  a  couple  of  dozen  of  eggs,  stowing  them  in 
our  provision  bags. 

"  While  thus  employed,  we  caught  sight  *»f  a  sail  which  ap- 
peared to  be  merrily  approaching  the  shore  beyond  the  cliffs. 
Ernest  declared  it  must  be  our  raft.  Little  Franz,  always 
having  the  fear  of  savages  before  his  eyes,  began  to  look 
frightened,  and  for  a  moment  I  myself  was  doubtful  what  t<? 
think. 

"  However,  we  hastened  to  the  stream  ;  and  crossing  it  by 
the  stepping-stones,  came  in  sight  of  the  landing  place,  where 
we  joyfully  met  you. 

"  Now  I  hope  you  approve  of  the  proceedings  of  your  ex- 
ploring party,  and  that  to-morrow  you  will  do  me  the  favor  of 
packing  everything  up,  and  taking  us  away  to  live  among  my 
splendid  trees." 

"jAye,  little  wife,"  said  I ;  "so  that  is  your  idea  of  comfort 
and  security,  is  it !  A  tree,  I  do  not  know  how  many  feet 
high,  on  which  we  are  to  perch  and  roost  like  the  birds  ?  If 
we  had  but  wings  or  a  balloon,  it  would,  I  own,  be  a  capital 
plan." 

"  Laugh  as  much  as  you  like,"  returned  my  wife,  "  my  idea 
is  not  so  absurd  as  you  make  it  out.  We  should  be  safe  up 
there  from  jackals'  visits  during  the  night.  And  I  know  I 
have  seen  at  home,  in  Switzerland,  quite  a  pretty  arbor,  with 
a  strong  floor,  up  among  the  branches  of  a  lime  tree,  and  we 
went  up  a  staircase  to  reach  it.  Why  could  not  we  contrive 
a  place  like  that,  where  we  could  sleep  safely  at  night  ?  " 

"  I  will  consider  the  idea  seriously,  my  wife,"  said  I ; 
"  perhaps  something  may  come  of  it,  after  all !  Meantime,  as 
we  have  finished  our  supper,  and  night  is  coming  on,  let  u» 
commend  ourselves  to  Almighty  protection  and  retire  to  rest," 


THE  SWISS  FAMTT.T  BOBINSOJT.  41 

Beneath  the  shelter  of  our  tent,  we  all  slept  soundly,  like 
•larmots,  until  break  of  day  ;  when,  my  wife  and  I  awaking, 
we  took  counsel  together  as  to  future  proceedings. 

Referring  to  the  task  she  had  the  previous  evening  pro- 
posed for  me,  I  remarked  that  to  undertake  it  would  involve 
so  many  difficulties  that  it  was  highly  necessary  to  look  closely 
into  the  subject. 

"In  the  first  j»ace,"  said  I,  "I  am  unwilling  hastily  to 
.quit  a  spot  to  which  I  am  convinced  we  were  providentially 
<led  as  a  landing  place.  See  how  secure  it  is ;  guarded  on  all 
sides  by  these  high  cliffs,  and  accessible  only  by  the  narrow 
passage  to  the  ford,  while  from  this  point  it  is  so  easy  to 
reach  the  ship  that  the  whole  of  its  valuable  cargo  is  at  our 
disposal.  Suppose  we  decide  to  stay  patiently  here  for  the 
present — until,  at  least,  we  have  brought  on  shore  everything 
we  possibly  can  ?  " 

"  I  agree  with  you  to  a  certain  extent,  dear  husband,"  r&. 
plied  she  ;  "  but  you  do  not  know  how  dreadfully  the  heat 
among  the  rocks  tries  me.  It  is  almost  intolerable  to  us  who 
remain  here  all  day,  while  you  and  Fritz  are  away  out  at  sea 
or  wandering  among  the  shady  woods,  where  cool  fruits  re- 
fresh, and  fair  scenes  delight  you.  As  to  the  contents  of  the 
ship,  an  immense  deal  has  been  cast  ashore,  and  I  would  much 
rather  give  up  all  the  remainder,  and  be  spared  the  painful 
anxiety  it  gives  me  when  you  even  talk  of  venturing  again  on 
the  faithless  deep." 

"  Well,  I  must  admit  that  there  is  much  right  on  your  side,51 
I  continued ;  "  suppose  we  were  to  remove  to  your  chosen 
abode,  and  make  this  rocky  fastness  our  magazine  and  place 
of  retreat  in  case  of  danger.  I  could  easily  render  it  more 
secure,  by  blasting  portions  of  the  rock  with  gunpowdev. 
But  a  bridge  must  be  constructed  in  the  fiist  place,  to  enable 
us  to  cross  bag  and  baggage." 

"  Oh,  I  shall  be  parched  to  death  before  we  can  leave  this 
place  if  a  bridge  has  to  be  made,"  cried  my  wife  impatiently. 
"  Why  not  just  take  our  things  on  our  backs  and  wade  across, 
as  we  have  done  already  ?  The  cow  and  the  donkey  could 
carry  a  great  deal." 

"That  they  will  have  to  do,  in  whatever  fashion  we  mak* 
the  move,"  said  I ;  "  but  bags  and  baskets  we  must  have,  t<? 
put  things  in,  and  if  you  will  turn  your  attention  to  providing 
those,  I  will  set  about  the  bridge  at  once.  It  will  be  wanted  not 
once  but  continually  ;  the  stream  will  probably  swell  and  be  im- 
passable  at  times,  and  even  as  it  is,  an  accident  might  happen." 


48  THE  SWISS  VAJUCIT  fiOBINSOW. 

"  Well  !  well !  "  cried  my  wife,  "I  submit  to  your  opinion  j 
only  pray  set  about  it  without  delay,  for  I  long  to  be  off.  It 
is  an  excellent  idea  to  make  a  strong  place  among  the  cliffs 
here  ;  the  gunpowder  especially,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  see 
stored  here  when  we  go  away,  for  it  is  frightfully  dangerous 
to  keep  BO  much  as  we  have  close  to  our  habitation." 

"  Gunpowder  is  indeed  the  most  dangerous  and  at  the  same 
time  the  most  useful  thing  we  have,"  said  I,  "  and  for  both 
these  reasons  we  must  be  especially  careful  of  it.  In  time  I 
will  hollow  out  a  place  in  the  rock  where  we  can  store  it  safe 
from  either  fire  or  damp." 

By  this  morning's  consultation  we  had  settled  the  weighty 
question  of  our  change  of  abode,  and  also  chalked  out  wort, 
for  the  day. 

When  the  children  heard  of  the  proposed  move  their  joy 
was  boundless  ;  they  began  at  once  to  talk  of  it  as  our  "  jour- 
ney to  the  Promised  Land,"  and  only  regretted  that  time  must 
be  "  wasted,"  as  they  said,  in  bridge-building  before  it  could 
be  undertaken. 

Everyone  being  impatient  for  breakfast  that  work  might 
be  begun  at  once,  the  cow  and  goats  were  milked,  and,  hav- 
ing enjoyed  a  comfortable  meal  of  biscuit  boiled  in  milk,  I 
prepared  to  start  for  the  wreck,  in  order  to  obtain  planks  f of 
the  proposed  bridge.  Ernest,  as  well  as  Fritz,  accompanied  me, 
and  we  were  soon  within  the  influence  of  the  current,  and 
were  carried  swiftly  out  to  sea.  Fritz  was  steering,  and  we 
had  no  sooner  passed  beyond  the  islet  at  the  entrance  of 
the  bay,  so  as  to  come  in  sight  of  its  seaward  beach,  than  we 
were  astonished  to  see  a  countless  multitude  of  sea  birds,  gulls, 
and  others,  which  rose  like  a  cloud  into  the  air,  disturbed  by 
our  approach,  and  deafened  us  by  their  wild  and  screaming 
cries.  Fritz  caught  up  his  gun,  and  would  have  sent  a  shot 
among  them  had  I  permitted  it.  I  was  very  curious  to  find 
out  what  could  be  the  great  attraction  for  all  this  swarm  of 
feathered  fowl ;  and,  availing  myself  of  a  fresh  breeze  from 
the  sea,  I  set  the  sail  and  directed  our  course  toward  the 
island. 

The  swelling  sail  and  flying  pennant  charmed  Ernest,  while 
Fritz  bent  his  keen  eyes  eagerly  toward  the  sandy  shore,  where 
the  flocks  of  birds  were  again  settling. 

Presently  he  shouted  :  "  Aha  !  now  I  see  what  they  are 
after !  They  have  got  a  huge  monster  of  a  fish  there  and  a 
proper  feast  they  are  making  I  Lot's  have  a  nearer  loofc 
at  it,  father  I  * 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBmSOW.  43 

We  could  not  take  our  boat  very  close  in,  but  we  managed 
lo  effect  a  landing  at  a  short  distance  from  the  festive  scene  ; 
and,  securing  the  raft  by  casting  a  rope  round  a  large  stone, 
we  cautiously  drew  near  the  object  of  interest. 

It  proved  to  be  a  monstrous  fish  on  whose  flesh  these  multi- 
tudes of  birds  were  ravenously  feeding  ;  and  it  was  extraor- 
dinary to  watch  the  ferocity,  the  envy,  the  gluttony,  and  all 
manner  of  evil  passions,  exhibited  among  the  guests  at  thi* 
banquet. 

'*  There  was  nothing  on  this  sandy  beach  when  we  passec 
yesterday,  I  am  certain,  father,"  said  Fritz.  "  It  seems  strange 
to  see  this  creature  stranded  here." 

"  Why,  Fritz  ! "  cried  Ernest,  "  It  must  be  the  shark  !  your 
shark,  you  know  !  I  believe  I  can  see  where  you  hit  him  in 
the  head." 

"  You  are  right,  I  do  believe,  Ernest,"  said  I,  "  though  I 
think  your  imagination  only  can  distinguish  the  gunshot 
wounds  among  all  the  pecking  and  tearing  of  the  voracious 
birds  there.  Just  look,  boys,  at  those  terrific  jaws,  beneath  the 
strangely  projecting  snout.  See  the  rows  upon  rows  of  mur- 
derous teeth,  and  thank  God  we  were  delivered  from  them  I 
Let  us  try  if  we  can  induce  these  greedy  birds  to  spare  us  a 
bit  of  the  shark's  skin  ;  it  is  extremely  rough,  and  when  dry 
may  be  used  like  a  file." 

Ernest  drew  the  ramrod  from  his  gun,  and  charged  so  man- 
fully into  the  crowd,  that  striking  right  and  left  he  speedily 
killed  several,  while  most  of  the  others  took  to  flight.  Frita 
detached  some  broad  strips  of  skin  with  his  knife,  and  we  re* 
turned  toward  the  boat 

Perceiving  with  satisfaction  that  the  shore  was  strewn  with 
just  the  sort  of  boards  and  planks  I  wanted,  I  lost  no  time  in 
collecting  them  ;  and,  forming  a  raft  to  tow  after  us,  we  were 
in  a  short  time  able  to  direct  our  course  homeward,  without 
visiting  the  wreck  at  all.  As  we  sailed  along,  extremely  well, 
pleased  with  our  good  fortune,  Fritz,  by  my  direction,  nailed1 
part  of  the  shark's  skin  flat  on  boards  to  dry  in  the  sun,  and 
the  rest  on  the  rounded  mast. 

"  Will  that  be  a  good  plan,  father  ?  "  inquired  he,  "  it  will 
be  quite  bent  and  crooked  when  it  hardens." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  want  it  to  be,"  said  I,  "  we  may  hap- 
pen to  find  it  useful  in  that  form  as  well  as  flat.  It  would  ba 
beautiful  shagreen  if  we  could  smooth  and  polish  it." 

"I  thought," remarked  Ernest, "that  shagreen  was  madti 
from  asses'  hide.'* 


«4  tHS   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

"  And  you  thought  rightly,"  said  I.  "  The  best  shagreen 
is  prepared  in  Turkey,  Persia,  and  Tartary,  from  the  skins  of 
horses  and  asses.  In  these  skins,  the  roughness  is  produced 
artificially  ;  while  the  skin  is  newly  flayed  and  still  soft,  hard 
grains  of  corn  are  spread  on  the  under  surface,  and  pressed 
into  it  as  it  dries.  These  grains  are  afterward  removed,  and 
the  roughness  imparted  to  the  appearance  of  the  skin  remains 
indelibly  ;  shagreen  is  useful  in  polishing  joiners'  work,  and  it 
is  made  in  France  from  the  rough  skin  of  a  hideous  creature 
called  the  angel-fish." 

"  Angel-fish  !  "  exclaimed  Fritz  ;  "  what  a  name  to  give  to 
Anything  '  hideous,'  father  !  " 

"  There  are  bad  angels  as  well  as  good  ones,"  observed 
Ernest,  in  his  dry,  quiet  way  ;  "  it  is  better  to  leave  people  to 
see  for  themselves  which  is  meant." 

By  this  time  we  were  close  in  shore  ;  and,  lowering  the  sail, 
we  soon  had  our  craft,  with  the  raft  in  tow,  safely  moored  to 
the  bank. 

No  one  was  in  sight,  not  a  sound  to  be  heard,  so  with  united 
voice  we  gave  a  loud,  cheery  halloo,  which  after  a  while  was 
answered  in  shrill  tones,  and  the  mother,  with  her  two  boys, 
came  running  from  behind  the  rocks  between  us  and  the  stream, 
each  carrying  a  small  bundle  in  a  handkerchief,  while  little 
Franz  held  aloft  a  landing  net. 

Our  return  so  soon  was  quite  unexpected,  and  they  anxiously 
inquired  the  reason,  which  we  soon  explained  ;  and  then  the 
mysterious  bundles  were  opened,  and  a  great  number  of  fine 
crawfish  displayed ;  whose  efforts  to  escape  by  scuttling  away 
in  every  direction,  directly  they  were  placed  in  a  heap  on  the 
ground,  caused  immense  fun  and  laughter  as  the  boys  pursued 
and  brought  them  back,  only  to  find  others  scrambling  off  in 
a  dozen  different  ways. 

"  Now,  father,  have  we  not  done  well  to-day  !  "  cried  Jack, 
"did  you  ever  see  such  splendid  crawfish?  Oh,  there  were 
thousands  of  them,  and  I  am  sure  we  have  got  two  hundred 
here  at  least.  Just  look  at  their  claws  ! " 

"  No  doubt  you  were  the  discoverer  of  these  fine  crabs, 
eu,  Jack?"  said  I. 

"  No  !  fancy  young  Franz  being  the  lucky  man  ! "  answered 
I  went  toward  the  stream  whil 


he.    "  He  and 

just  to  look  for  a  good  place  for  the  bridge.  Franz  was  picking 
up  pebbles  and  alabasters,  some  because  they  were  so  pretty, 
lome  to  strike  sparks  within  the  dark,  and  some,  he  insisted, 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBOTSOW.  45 

were  *  gold.*  '  Jack  ! '  *  Jack ! '  cried  he  presently, '  come  and 
Bee  the  crabs  on  Fritz's  jackal ! '  You  know  we  threw  it  away 
there,  and  to  be  sure  it  was  swarming  with  these  creatures. 
Are  you  glad  we  have  found  them,  father  ?  Will  they  be 
good  to  eat !  " 

"  Very  excellent,  my  boy,  and  we  may  be  thankful  that  food 
for  our  wants  is  thus  provided  day  by  day." 

When  each  party  had  related  the  day's  adventures,  and 
while  the  mother  was  cooking  the  crawfish,  we  went  to  bring 
our  store  of  planks  to  land.  Even  this  apparently  simple 
operation  required  thought,  and  I  had  to  improvise  rope- 
harness  for  the  cow  and  the  donkey,  by  which  we  could  make 
them  drag  each  board  separately  from  the  water's  edge  to  the 
margin  of  the  stream. 

Jack  showed  me  where  he  thought  the  bridge  should  be, 
find  I  certainly  saw  no  better  place,  as  the  banks  were  at  that 
point  tolerably  close  to  one  another,  steep,  and  of  about  equal 
height. 

"  How  shall  we  find  out  if  our  planks  are  long  enough  to 
reach  ".cross  ?  "  said  I.  "  A  surveyor's  table  would  be  useful 
now." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  a  ball  of  string,  father  ?  "  said  Ernest. 
"  Tie  one  end  to  a  stone,  throw  it  across,  then  draw  it  back 
and  measure  the  line  !  " 

Adopting  my  son's  idea,  we  speedily  ascertained  the  dis- 
tance across  to  be  eighteen  feet.  Then  allowing  three  feet  more 
at  each  side,  I  calculated  twenty-four  feet  as  the  necessary 
length  of  the  boards. 

The  question  as  to  how  the  planks  were  to  be  laid  across 
was  a  difficult  one.  We  resolved  to  discuss  it  during  dinner, 
to  which  we  were  now  summoned.  And  my  wife,  as  we  sat 
resting,  displayed  to  me  her  needlework.  With  hard  labor 
she  had  made  two  large  canvas  bags  for  the  ass  to  carry 
Having  no  suitable  needle,  she  had  been  obliged  to  bore  the 
hole  for  each  stitch  with  a  nail,  and  gained  great  praise  for  her 
ingenuity  and  patience.  Dinner  was  quickly  dispatched,  as 
we  were  all  eager  to  continue  our  engineering  work.  A  scheme 
had  occurred  to  me  for  conveying  one  end  of  a  plank  across 
the  water,  and  I  set  about  it  in  this  way.  There  fortunately 
were  one  or  two  trees  close  to  the  stream  on  either  side.  I  at- 
tached a  rope  pretty  near  one  end  of  a  beam,  and  slung  it 
loosely  to  the  tree  beside  us  ;  then,  fastening  a  long  rope  to  the 
other  end,  I  crossed  witb  it  by  means  of  broken  rocks  and 


66  THE    SWISS    FAMILY   KOBDfSON. 

stones,  and  having  a  pulley  and  block,  I  soon  arranged  the 
rope  on  a  strong  limb  of  the  opposite  tree,  again  returning 
with  the  end  to  our  own  side. 

Now  putting  my  idea  to  the  proof,  I  brought  the  ass  and  the 
cow,  and  fastening  this  rope  to  the  harness  I  had  previously 
contrived  for  them,  I  drove  them  steadily  away  from  the 
bank.  To  my  great  satisfaction,  and  the  surprise  and  delight 
of  the  boys,  the  end  of  the  plank  which  had  been  laid  along- 
side the  stream  began  gently  to  move,  rose  higher,  turned, 
and  soon  projecting  over  the  water,  continued  to  advance, 
until,  having  described  the  segment  of  a  circle,  it  reached  the 
opposite  bank  ;  I  stopped  my  team,  the  plank  rested  on  th« 
ground,  the  bridge  was  made  !  So  at  least  thought  Fritz  and 
Jack,  who  in  a  moment  were  lightly  running  across  the  nar- 
row way,  shouting  joyfully  as  they  sprang  to  the  other  side. 

Our  work  was  now  comparatively  easy.  A  second  and  third 
plank  were  laid  beside  the  first ;  and  when  these  were  care- 
fully secured  at  each  end  to  the  ground  and  to  the  trees,  w« 
very  quickly  laid  short  boards  side  by  side  across  the  beams, 
the  boys  nailing  them  lightly  down  as  I  sawed  them  in  lengths; 
and  when  this  was  done,  our  bridge  was  pronounced  complete. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  excitement  of  the  children.  They 
danced  to  and  fro  on  the  wonderful  structure,  singing,  shout- 
ing, and  cutting  the  wildest  capers. 

I  must  confess  I  heartily  sympathized  with  their  triumphant 
feelings. 

Now  that  the  work  was  done,  we  began  to  feel  how  muoh 
we  were  fatigued,  and  gladly  returned  to  our  tent  for  refresh- 
ment and  repose. 

Next  morning,  while  we  breakfasted,  I  made  a  little  speech 
to  my  sons  on  the  subject  of  the  important  move  we  were 
about  to  make,  wishing  to  impress  them  with  a  sense  of  the 
absolute  necessity  of  great  caution. 

"  Remember,"  said  I,  "  that,  although  you  all  begin  to  feel 
very  much  at  your  ease  here,  we  are  yet  complete  strangers  to* 
a  variety  of  dangers  which  may  surprise  us  unawares.  I 
charge  you,  therefore,  to  maintain  good  order,  and  keep  to* 
gether  on  the  march.  No  darting  off  into  by-ways,  Jack. 
No  lingering  behind  to  philosophize,  Ernest.  And  now  all 
bands  to  work." 

The  greatest  activity  instantly  prevailed  in  our  camp.  Some 
collected  provisions,  others  packed  kitchen  utensils,  tools, 
ropes,  and  hammocks,  arranging  them  as  burdens  for  the  cow 
and  ass.  My  wife  pleaded  for  a  seat  on  the  latter  for  her 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  47 

little  Franz,  and  assuring  me  likewise  that  she  could  not  pos- 
sibly leave  the  poultry,  even  for  a  night,  nor  exist  an  houf 
without  her  magic  bag,  I  agreed  to  do  my  best  to  please  her, 
without  downright  cruelty  to  the  animals. 

Away  ran  the  children  to  catch  the  cocks  and  hens.  Great 
ehasing,  fluttering,  and  cackling  ensued  ;  but  with  no  success 
whatever,  until  the  mother  recalled  her  panting  sons,  and 
scattering  some  handf  uls  of  grain  within  the  open  tent,  soon 
decoyed  the  fowls  and  pigeons  into  the  enclosure  ;  where, 
when  the  curtain  was  dropped,  they  were  easily  caught,  tie<J 
together,  and  placed  on  the  cow.  This  amiable  and  phleg* 
matic  animal  [had  stood  calmly  chewing  the  cud,  while  pack, 
age  after  package  was  disposed  on  her  broad  back,  nor  did  she 
now  object  even  to  this  noisy  addition  to  her  load.  I  placed  a 
couple  of  half -hoops  over  all ;  and,  spreading  sailcloth  on 
them,  put  the  fowls  in  darkness,  and  they  rapidly  became 
quiet ;  and  the  cow,  with  the  appearance  of  having  a  small 
wagon  on  her  back,  was  ready  to  start. 

Franz  was  firmly  seated  on  the  ass,  amidst  bags  and  bundles 
of  all  sorts  and  sizes  ;  they  rose  about  him  like  cushions  and 
pillows,  and  his  curly  head  rested  on  the  precious  magic  bag, 
which  surmounted  all  the  rest. 

Having  filled  the  tent  with  the  things  we  left  behind,  clos- 
ing it  carefully,  and  ranging  chests  and  casks  around  it,  we 
were  finally  ready  to  be  off,  each  well  equipped  and  in  the 
highest  spirits. 

Fritz  and  his  mother  led  the  van. 

Franz  (the  young  cavalier)  and  the  sober-minded  cow  fol* 
lowed  them  closely. 

Jack  conducted  the  goats  ;  one  of  these  had  also  a  ride?, 
for  Knips,*  the  monkey,  was  seated  on  his  foster-mother,  whose 
patience  was  sorely  tried  by  his  restlessness  and  playful  tricks. 

The  sheep  were  under  Ernest's  care,  and  I  brought  up  the 
rear  of  this  patriarchal  band,  while  the  two  dogs  kept  con- 
stantly running  backward  and  forward  in  the  character  of 
aids-de-camp. 

"We  seem  delightfully  like  those  simple  and  pastoral 
tribes  I  have  read  of,"  said  Ernest,  as  we  proceeded,  "  whose 
whole  lives  are  spent  in  shifting  from  place  to  place,  without 
any  wish  to  settle." 

"Yes,"  said  I.  "Among  the  Arabs,  Tartars,  and  some 
Oiher  Eastern  nations,  this  mode  of  life  is  natural.  They  for 
that  reason  are  called  Nomads. 

*  German,  Knipps.  a  TOa 


48  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

"  These  tribes  are  amply  provided  with  camels  and 
and  effect  their  journeys  more  quickly  and  conveniently  than 
we  are  likely  to  do  with  these  deliberate  quadrupeds  of  ours. 
Whatever  you  young  folks  may  think,  I  suspect  your  mother 
and  I  will  be  quite  satisfied  with  one  such  undertaking.  At 
least  I  hope  she  will  be  contented  with  the  nest  she  intends  me 
to  build  for  her  up  in  her  wonderful  trees." 

With  honest  pride  I  introduced  my  wife  to  my  bridge,  and 
after  receiving  from  her  what  I  considered  well-merited  praise 
for  my  skill  in  its  construction,  we  passed  over  it  in  grand 
procession,  re-enforced  unexpectedly  on  the  opposite  side  by 
the  arrival  of  our  cross-grained  old  sow.  The  perverse  crea- 
ture had  obstinately  resisted  our  attempts  to  bring  her  with 
U8j  but  finding  herself  deserted,  had  followed  of  her  own 
accord,  testifying  in  the  most  unmistakable  manner,  by  angry- 
grunts  and  squeals,  her  entire  disapproval  of  our  proceedings. 

I  soon  found  we  must,  as  before,  turn  down  to  the  sea  beach, 
for  not  only  did  the  rank  grass  impede  our  progress,  but  it 
also  tempted  the  animals  to  break  away  from  us,  and,  but  for 
our  watchful  dogs,  we  might  have  lost  several  of  them. 

On  the  firm  open  sands  we  were  making  good  way,  when,  to 
my  annoyance,  both  our  dogs  suddenly  left  us,  and  springing 
into  the  thick  cover  to  our  right,  commenced  a  furious  bark- 
ing, following  by  howling  as  if  in  fear  and  violent  pain. 

Not  for  a  moment  doubting  that  some  dangerous  animal 
was  at  hand,  I  hastened  to  the  spot,  remarking  as  I  went  the 
characteristic  behavior  of  my  three  sons. 

Fritz  cocked  his  gun  and  advanced  boldly,  but  with  caution. 

Ernest  looked  disconcerted,  and  drew  back,  but  got  ready 
to  fire. 

While  Jack  hurried  after  Fritz  without  so  much  as  unsling- 
ing  his  gun  from  his  shoulders. 

Before  I  could  come  up  with  them,  I  heard  Jack  shouting 
excitedly, 

"  Father  !  father  !  come  quickly !  a  huge  porcupine  !  35 
most  enormous  porcupine  I  " 

Sure  enough,  the  dogs  were  rushing  round  and  round  a  por- 
cupine, and  having  attempted  to  seize  it,  were  already  severely 
wounded  by  its  quills.  Each  time  they  came  near,  the  crea- 
ture, with  a  rattling  noise,  bristled  up  its  spines. 

Somewhat  to  my  amusement,  while  we  were  looking  at  the 
curious  defense  this  creature  was  making,  little  Jack  stepped 
close  up  to  it,  with  a  pocket  pistol  in  his  hand,  and  shot  it 
dead,  making  sure  of  it  by  a  couple  of  hearty  raps  on  the 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   BOBINSOW.  4t 

and  then  giving  way  to  a  burst  of  boyish  exultation,  he  called 
upon  us  to  help  to  convey  his  prize  to  his  mother.  This  it  waa 
not  by  any  means  easy  to  do.  Sundry  attempts  resulted  in 
bloody  fingers,  till  Jack,  taking  his  pocket  handkerchief,  and 
fastening  one  corner  round  its  neck,  ran  off,  dragging  it  after 
him  to  where  his  mother  awaited  us. 

"Hullo,  mother  !  here's  a  jolly  beast,  isn't  it?  I  shot  it, 
and  it's  good  to  eat !  Father  says  so  !  I  only  wish  you  had 
seen  how  it  terrified  the  dogs,  and  heard  the  rattling  and  rust- 
ling of  its  spines.  Oh,  it  is  a  fearful  creature  !  " 

Ernest,  examining  it  carefully,  pronounced  its  incisor  teeth, 
its  ears  and  feet,  to  resemble  those  of  the  human  race,  and 
pointed  out  the  curious  crest  of  stiff  hairs  on  its  head  and 
neck. 

"  I  have  read  of  another  species,"  said  he, "  called  the  tuft- 
tailed  porcupine,  which  must  be  even  more  curious  looking 
than  this  is.  It  has  short,  flat  quills,  and  a  scaly  tail  ending  in 
an  extraordinary  tuft,  like  a  bunch  of  narrow  strips  of  parch- 
ment. It  cannot  be  such  a  disagreeable  enemy  to  encounter 
as  this  fellow." 

"  Were  you  not  afraid,  Jack,"  asked  I,  "  lest  the  porcupine 
should  cast  some  of  his  quills  like  darts  at  you  ?" 

"  Of  course  not,"  returned  he,  "  I  know  well  enough  that  is 
nothing  but  a  fable  ! " 

"  A  fable  !  "  said  I;  "  why,  look  at  your  mother !  she  is  draw* 
ing  five  or  six  spines  out  of  each  of  the  dogs  ! " 

"  Ah,  those  stuck  into  them  when  they  so  fiercely  fell  npon 
it  in  their  attack.  Those  are  the  shortest  quills,  and  seem 
very  slightly  fixed  in  its  skin.  The  long  quills  bent  aside  when 
Juno  pressed  against  them." 

"  You  are  perfectly  right,  my  boy,"  said  I ;  "  there  is  no 
troth  in  the  old  idea  of  shooting  out  the  spines.  But  now, 
shall  we  leave  this  prickly  booty  of  yours,  or  attempt  to  take 
it  with  us  ?  " 

"  Oh,  please  father,  let  us  take  it  I  Why,  it  is  good  to 
eat ! " 

Smiling  at  the  child's  eagerness,  and  willing  to  please  him,  » 
made  a  somewhat  awkward  bundle  of  the  porcupine,  wrap- 
ping  it  in  several  folds  of  cloth,  and  added  it  to  the  donkey'g 
load. 

Our  party  then  resumed  the  march,  which,  with  little  inter- 
ruption, was  continued  steadily,  until  we  came  in  sight  of  ouf 
future  place  of  residence. 

The  wonderful  appearance  of  the  *»nonnous  trees,  and  the 


80  THE   SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON. 

calm  beauty  of  the  spot  altogether,  fully  came  up  to  the  en« 
thusiastic  description  which  had  been  given  me.  And  my  wife 
gladly  heard  me  say  that,  if  an  abode  could  be  contrived 
among  the  branches,  it  would  be  the  safest  and  most  charming 
home  in  the  world. 

We  hastily  unloaded  the  ass  and  cow,  securing  them,  as 
cwel!  as  the  sheep  and  goats,  by  tying  their  fore-feet  loosely 
^together.  The  doves  and  poultry  were  set  at  liberty,  and  we 
sat  down  to  rest  among  the  soft  herbage  while  we  laid  our 
plans  for  the  night. 

1  Fritz  soon  left  us,  but  presently  two  shots  were  fired,  and 
he  appeared  holding  a  fine  tiger  cat  by  the  hind  legs,  which, 
with  the  intensest  delight,  he  exhibited  to  each  in  turn. 

"  Well  done,  Fritz  ! "  cried  I.  "  Our  cocks  and  hens  would 
have  had  an  unfortunate  night  of  it  but  for  this  lucky 
shot  of  yours.  It  is  to  be  hoped  he  has  left  no  companion 
near  at  hand.  You  must  be  on  the  lookout." 

"How  curious  it  seems,"  remarked  Ernest,  "that  God 
should  create  hurtful  animals  like  this." 

"  To  our  feeble  and  narrow  vision  many  of  the  ways  of  the 
Infinite  and  Eternal  Mind  are  incomprehensible,"  I  replied. 
"  What  our  limited  reason  cannot  grasp,  let  us  be  content  to 
acknowledge  as  the  workings  of  Almighty  power  and  wisdom, 
and  thankfully  trust  in  that  *  Rock,'  which,  were  it  not 
higher  than  we,  would  afford  no  sense  of  security  to  the 
immortal  soul.  That  animals  should  prey  upon  one  anothef 
is  a  means  of  preserving  a  due  balance  in  the  world  of  nature^ 
and  in  many  ways  these  beasts  of  prey  are  also  useful  to  man* 
What  beautiful  and  warm  furs  are  procured  by  hunters  just 
in  those  countries  where  no  other  covering  would  defend 
the  inhabitants  from  the  wintery  cold  ! — as,  for  instance,  the 
skins  of  bears,  wolverines,  and  arctic  foxes,  wild  cats,  and 
many  others." 

"  The  skin  of  the  seal,  or  sea  dog,  is  also  valuable,"  said 
Ernest. 

"  It  is,"  I  replied,  "  and  in  its  own  element  that  creature 
preys  on  fish  as  the  dog  did  on  land  animals  before  hia 
race  became  domesticated  by  man.  But  now,  Fritz,  tell  ua 
how  you  obtained  your  prize." 

"  Observing  that  something  moved  among  the  branches," 
said  he,  "  I  went  softly  around  the  tree  with  my  gun,  and 
making  sure  the  creature  was  a  wild  cat,  I  fired  and  brought 
it  down.  It  was  severely  wounded,  but,  rising  in  a  fury,  it 
attempted  to  climb  the  tree,,  when  I,  luckily  having  a 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  01 

loaded  pistol,    gave  it  a  quietus.    And  do   tell  me,   father, 
what  sort  of  a  cat  it  is." 

"  It  is  a  mercy  the  brute  did  not  fly  at  your  throat  instead 
of  attempting  to  escape,"  said  I.  "  It  belongs  to  a  fierce  and 
blood-thirsty  race — that  of  the  ocelots  or  tiger  cats,  natives  of 
the  tropical  parts  of  America.  I  should  say  this  was  a  mar- 
gay,  and  it  would  have  proved  a  cruel  foe,  not  only  of  our 
poultry,  but  also  of  our  sheep  and  goats.  I  am  well  pleased 
that  you  have  rid  us  of  it." 

"May  I  have  the  beautiful  skin,  father?  And  will  you  tell 
me  what  will  be  the  best  use  to  make  of  it  ? " 

•*  I  advise  you  to  skin  the  animal  very  carefully,  and  of  the 
handsome  [black  and  yellow  tail  make  a  hunting-belt  for 
yourself.  The  paws — let  me  see — why,  I  fancy  the  pawfl 
might  be  made  famous  cases  for  knife,  fork,  and  spoon,  and 
look  well  hanging  from  the  belt.  The  skin  of  the  body 
you  had  better  preserve  until  you  find  some  suitable  use  for 
it.J> 

"  Oh,  father,  what  a  splendid  plan  ! "  cried  Jack  ;  "  do  tell 
me  some  good  use  for  my  porcupine." 

"  I  think  its  feet  may  make  cases  also  ;  at  least,  you 
may  try.  The  quills,  I  am  sure,  may  be  used  for  packing 
needles,  and  for  tipping  arrows,  and  I  should  try  to  make  de- 
fensive armor  f«?  the  dogs  out  of  the  rest.  They  may  fall  in 
with  foes  more  dangerous  than  any  we  have  yet  seen." 

"  To  be  sure,  father,  the  very  thing  ! "  shouted  Jack  in 
high  glee.  "  I  have  seen  pictures  of  boar  hunts,  in  which  the 
dogs  were  protected  by  a  sort  of  leather  coat  of  mail. 
That  will  be  grand  ! " 

After  giving  this  advice,  I  got  no  peace  until  I  had  shown 
my  boys  how  to  act  upon  it,  and  in  a  short  time  each  had 
his  prize  fastened  up  by  the  hind  legs,  and  carefully  slit- 
ting the  skin,  was  stripping  it  from  the  carcase. 

Ernest,  meanwhile,  was  fetching  large  flat  stones  in  order 
to  form  a  fireplace,  while  Franz  gathered  sticks,  as  his  mother 
was  anxious  to  prepare  some  food.  » 

"  What  sort  of  a  tree  do  you  suppose  this  to  be,  father  ?  " 
inquired  Ernest,  seeing  me  examining  that  under  which  we 
were  encamping.  "  Is  not  the  leaf  something  like  the  walnut  ?  w 

"  There  is  a  resemblance,  but  in  my  opinion  these  gigantic 
trees  must  be  mangroves  or  wild  figs.  I  have  heard  their 
enormous  height  described,  and  also  the  peculiarity  of  the 
arching  roots  supporting  the  main  trunk  raised  above  the  soil." 

Just  then  little  Franz  came  up  with  a  large  bundle  of  sticks, 


69  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBIHSOW. 

and  his  month  full  of  something  he  was  eating  with  evident 
satisfaction. 

"Oh,  mother!"  cried  he,  "this  is  so  good!  So  deH. 
cious  ! " 

"  Greedy  little  boy  !  "  exclaimed  she  in  a  fright.  "  What 
feave  you  got  there  ?  Don't  swallow  it,  whatever  you  do. 
Very  likely  it  is  poisonous  !  Spit  it  all  out  this  minute  !  w 
And  the  anxious  mother  quickly  extracted  from  the  rosy  little 
month  the  remains  of  a  small  fig. 

"  Where  did  you  find  this?  "  said  I. 

"  There  are  thousands  lying  among  the  grass  yonder,"  replied 
the  little  boy.  "  They  taste  very  nice.  I  thought  poison  was 
nasty.  Do  you  think  they  will  hurt  me  ?  The  pigeons  and 
the  hens  are  gobbling  them  up  with  all  their  might  and  main, 
papa ! " 

"  I  think  you  have  no  cause  for  alarm,  dear  wife,"  I  said 
"  The  trees  seem  to  be  the  fig-bearing  mangrove  of  the  Antilles. 
But  remember,  Franz,  you  must  never  eat  anything  without 
first  showing  it  to  me,  never  mind  how  good  it  seems.  If 
birds  and  monkeys  eat  a  fruit  or  vegetable,  it  is  usually  safe 
to  believe  it  wholesome,"  added  I,  turning  to  the  other  boys, 
who,  instantly  taking  the  hint,  coaxed  Franz  to  give  them  the 
figs  he  still  had  in  his  pocket,  and  ran  to  offer  them  to  Knips, 
who  was  closely  watching  the  skinning  of  the  tiger  cat  and 
porcupine,  apparently  giving  his  opinion  on  the  subject  with 
much  chattering  and  gesticulation. 

"  Here,  Knips,  allow  me  to  present  you  with  a  fig  ! "  cried 
Jack,  holding  one  out  to  the  funny  little  creature. 

Knips  took  it  readily,  and  after  turning  it  about,  and  sniff- 
ing and  smelling  it,  he  popped  it  into  his  mouth,  with  such  a 
droll  grimace  of  delight  and  satisfaction  that  the  boys  all 
laughed  and  clapped  ..their  hands,  crying  "  Bravo,  Knips  !  you 
know  a  good  thing  when  you  see  it,  don't  you,  old  fellow  f 
Hurrah !  " 

My  wife,  with  her  mind  set  at  rest  on  the  question  of  the 
figs,  now  continued  her  preparations  for  dinner.  J 

The  flesh  of  the  margay  was  given  to  the  dogs,  but  part  of 
the  porcupine  was  put  on  the  fire  to  boil,  while  we  reserved 
the  rest  for  roasting. 

I  employed  myself  in  contriving  needles  for  my  wife's  work, 
by  boring  holes  at  one  end  of  the  quills,  which  I  did  by  means 
of  a  red  hot  nail,  and  I  soon  had  a  nice  packet  of  various  sizes, 
which  pleased  her  immensely.  I  also  laid  plans  for  making 
proper  harness  for  our  b$Mti  of  burden,  but  could  not  attempt 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON.  58 

to  begin  that  while  so  many  wants  more  pressing  demanded 
attention. 

We  examined  the  different  trees,  and  chose  one  which 
seemed  most  suited  to  our  purpose.  The  branches  spread  at  a 
great  height  above  us,  and  I  made  the  boys  try  if  it  were 
possible  to  throw  sticks  or  stones  over  one  of  these,  my  inten- 
tion being  to  construct  a  rope  ladder  if  we  could  once  succeed 
in  getting  a  string  across  a  strong  bough. 

Finding  we  could  not  succeed  in  that  way,  I  resolved  other 
schemes  in  my  mind,  and  meantime  went  with  Jack  and  Frit* 
to  a  small  brook  close  by,  where  I  showed  them  how  to  place 
the  skins  to  steep  and  soften  in  the  water,  with  stones  placed 
on  them  to  keep  them  beneath  the  surface. 

When  dinner  was  over,  I  prepared  our  night  quarters.  I 
first  slung  our  hammocks  from  the  roots  of  the  tree,  which, 
meeting  above  us,  formed  an  arched  roof,  then  covering  the 
whole  with  sailcloth,  we  made  a  temporary  tent,  which  would 
at  least  keep  off  the  night  damps  and  noxious  insects. 

Leaving  my  wife  engaged  in  making  a  set  of  harness  fo» 
the  ass  and  cow,  whose  strength  I  intended  to  employ  the 
following  day  in  drawing  the  beams  up  to  our  tree,  I  walked 
Aown  with  Fritz  and  Ernest  to  the  beach  to  look  for  wood 
suitable  for  building  our  new  abode,  and  also  to  discover,  if 
possible,  some  light  rods  to  form  a  ladder.  For  some  time  we 
hunted  in  vain,  nothing  but  rough  drift  wood  was  to  be  seen, 
utterly  unfit  for  our  purpose.  Ernest  at  length  pointed  out  a 
quantity  of  bamboos,  half  buried  in  the  sand.  These  were 
exactly  what  I  wanted,  and  stripping  them  of  their  leaves  I  cut 
them  into  lengths  of  about  five  feet  each  ;  these  I  bound  in 
bundles  to  carry  to  the  tree,  and  then  began  to  look  about  for 
Borne  slight  reeds  to  serve  as  arrows. 

I  presently  saw  what  I  required  in  a  copse  at  a  little  distance,- 
We  advanced  cautiously  lest  the  thicket  should  contain  some 
wild  beast  or  venomous  serpent.  Juno  rushed  ahead  ;  as  she 
did  so  a  flock  of  flamingoes,  which  had  been  quietly  feeding, 
rose  in  the  air.  Fritz,  instantly  firing,  brought  a  couple  of  the 
birds  to  the  ground,  the  rest  of  th»  squadron  sailing  away  in 
perfect  order,  their  plumage  continually  changing,  as  they 
flew,  from  beautiful  rose  to  pure  white,  as  alternately  their 
snowy  wings  and  resy  breasts  were  visible.  One  of  those  which 
fell  was  perfectly  dead,  but  the  other  appeared  only  slightly 
wounded  in  the  wing,  for  it  made  off  across  the  swampy 
-ground.  I  attempted  to  follow,  but  soon  found  that  progress 
was  impossible  on  the  marsh  ;  Juno,  however,  chased  the  bird 


|4  THB   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSOW. 

3nd,  seizing  it,  speedily  brought  it  to  my  feet.     Fritz  and  Ernest 
were  delighted  at  the  sight  of  our  prize. 

"  What  a  handsome  bird  !  "  exclaimed  they.  "  Is  it  much 
hurt  ?  Let  us  tame  it  and  let  it  run  about  with  the  fowls." 

"  Its  plumage  is  much  more  brilliant  than  that  of  the  dead 
one,"  remarked  Fritz. 

"  Yes,"  said  Ernest,  "  this  is  a  full  grown  bird,  while  yours 
is  younger  ;  it  is  some  years  before  they  reach  perfection. 
.See  what  long  active  legs  it  has,  like  those  of  a  stork,  while 
'with  its  great  webbed  feet  it  can  swim  faster  than  a  goose. 
Earth,  air,  or  water  is  all  the  same  to  the  flamingo,  it  is  equally 
at  home  in  any  one  of  the  three." 

"  Well,"  said  Fritz,  "  let  us  take  the  dead  one  to  mother  and 
get  her  to  introduce  it  to  the  other  element,  and  see  what  it 
will  make  of  that  ;  if  it  is  young  and  tender,  as  you  say,  it 
should  make  a  delicious  roast." 

Fritz  and  Ernest  then  carried  the  birds  and  bamboos  to  the 
tree,  while  I  proceeded  to  cut  my  reeds.  I  chose  those  which 
had  flowered,  knowing  that  they  were  harder,  and  having  cut 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  these,  1  selected  one  or  two  of  the 
tallest  canes  I  could  find  to  assist  me  in  measuring  the  height 
of  the  tree.  I  then  bound  them  together  and  returned  to  my 
family. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  keep  this  great  hungry  bird  Fritz  has 
brought  ?  "  said  my  wife,  "  it  is  another  mouth  to  feed,  re- 
member, and  provisions  are  still  scarce." 

"  Luckily,"  I  replied,  "  the  flamingo  will  not  eat  grain  like 
our  poultry,  but  will  be  quite  satisfied  with  insects,  fish,  and 
little  crabs,  which  it  will  pick  up  for  itself.  Pray  reassure 
yourself,  therefore,  and  let  me  see  to  the  poor  bird's  wound." 

So  saying,  I  procured  some  wine  and  butter  and  anointed  the 
wing,  which  though  hurt  was  not  broken.  I  bound  it  up,  and 
then  took  the  bird  to  the  stream,  where  I  fastened  it  by  a  long 
cord  to  a  stake  and  left  it  to  shift  for  itself.  In  a  few  days 
the  wound  was  healed,  and  the  bird,  subdued  by  kind  treat- 
ment, became  rapidly  tame. 

While  I  was  thus  employed  my  sons  were  endeavoring  to 
ascertain  the  height  of  the  lowest  branch  of  the  tree  from  the 
ground.  They  had  fastened  together  the  long  reeds  I  had 
brought,  and  were  trying  to  measure  the  distance  with  them, 
but  in  vain  ;  they  soon  found  that  were  the  rods  ten  times 
their  length  they  could  not  touch  the  branch. 

"  Hullo,  my  boys,"  I  said,  when  I  discovered  what  they  were 
About,  "  that  is  not  the  way  to  set  to  work.  Geometry  will 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON.  61 

simplify  the  operation  considerably  ;  with  its  help  the  alti- 
tude of  the  highest  mountains  are  ascertained.  We  may, 
therefore,  easily  find  the  height  of  the  branch." 

So  saying,  I  measured  out  a  certain  distance  from  the  base 
of  the  tree  and  marked  the  spot,  and  then  by  means  of  a  rod 
whose  length  I  knew,  and  imaginary  lines,  I  calculated  the 
angle  subtended  by  the  trunk  of  the  tree  from  the  ground  to 
the  root  of  the  branch.  This  done,  I  was  able  to  discover  the 
height  required,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  younger  chil- 
dren, announced  that  we  should  henceforth  live  thirty  feet 
above  the  ground.  This  I  wanted  to  know,  that  I  might 
construct  a  ladder  of  the  necessary  length. 

Telling  Fritz  to  collect  all  our  cord,  and  the  others  to  roll 
all  the  twine  into  a  ball,  I  sat  down,  and  taking  the  reeds, 
speedily  manufactured  half  a  dozen  arrows  and  feathered  them 
from  the  dead  flamingo.  I  then  took  a  strong  bamboo,  bent 
it,  and  strung  it  so  as  to  form  a  bow.  When  the  boys  saw 
what  I  had  done  they  were  delighted,  and  begged  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  firing  the  first  shot. 

"  No,  no  ! "  said  I,  "  I  did  not  make  this  for  mere  pleasure, 
nor  is  it  even  intended  as  a  weapon,  the  arrows  are  pointless. 
Elizabeth,"  I  continued  to  my  wife,  "  can  you  supply  me  with 
a  ball  of  stout  thread  from  your  wonderful  bag  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  replied  she,  "  I  think  a  ball  of  thread  was  the 
first  thing  to  enter  the  bag,"  and  diving  her  hand  deep  in,  she 
drew  out  the  very  thing  I  wanted. 

"  Now,  boys,"  I  said,  "  I  am  going  to  fire  the  first  shot," 
and  I  fastened  one  end  of  the  thread  to  one  of  my  arrows  and 
aimed  at  a  large  branch  above  me.  The  arrow  flew  upward 
and  bore  the  thread  over  the  branch  and  fell  at  our  feet. 
Thus  was  the  first  step  in  our  undertaking  accomplished.  Now 
for  the  rope  ladder  ! 

Fritz  had  obtained  two  coils  of  cord,  each  about  forty  feet 
jin  length  ;  these  we  stretched  on  the  ground  side  by  side  ; 
ithen  Frita  cut  the  bamboos  into  pieces  of  two  feet  for  the 
steps  of  the  ladder,  and  as  he  handed  them  to  me,  I  passed 
them  through  knots  which  I  had  prepared  in  the  ropes,  white 
Jack  fixed  each  end  with  a  nail  driven  through  the  wood. 
When  the  ladder  was  finished,  I  carried  over  the  bough  a  rope 
by  which  it  might  be  hauled  up.  This  done,  I  fixed  the  lower 
end  of  the  ladder  firmly  to  the  ground  by  means  of  stakes, 
and  all  was  ready  for  an  ascent.  The  boys,  who  had  been 
watching  me  with  intense  interest,  were  each  eager  to  be 
first. 


M  THB  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBIN1O17. 

"Jack  shall  have  the  honor,"  said  I,  "  as  he  is  the  Hghteet  * 
6o  up  with  you,  my  boy,  and  do  not  break  your  neck." 

Jack,  who  was  as  active  as  a  monkey,  sprang  up  the  ladder 
and  quickly  gained  the  top. 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  nest ! "  he  exclaimed,  waving  his  cap. 
"  Hurrah,  hurrah,  hurrah  for  our  jolly  nest !  What  a  grand 
house  we  will  have  up  here  ;  come  along,  Fritz  ! " 

His  brother  was  soon  by  his  side,  and  with  a  hammer  and  naila 
secured  the  ladder  yet  more  securely.  I  followed  with  an  ax, 
and  took  a  survey  of  the  tree.  It  was  admirably  suited  to  out 
purpose  ;  the  branches  were  very  strong  and  so  closely  inter- 
woven that  no  beams  would  be  required  to  form  a  flooring,  but 
when  some  of  the  boughs  were  lopped  and  cleared  away,  a  few 
planks  would  be  quite  sufficient. 

I  now  called  for  a  pulley,  which  my  wife  fastened  to  the 
cord  hanging  beside  the  ladder.  I  hauled  it  up,  and  finding  the 
boys  rather  in  my  way,  told  them  to  go  doveu,  while  I  proceeded 
to  fasten  the  pulley  to  a  stout  branch  above  me,  that  we  might 
be  able  to  haul  up  the  beams  we  should  require  the  next  day. 
I  then  made  other  preparations,  that  there  might  be  no  delay 
on  the  morrow,  and  a  bright  moon  having  arisen,  I  by  its  light 
continued  working  until  I  was  quite  worn  out,  and  then  at  length 
descended.  I  reached  the  ground,  but  to  my  surprise  found 
that  the  two  boys  were  not  there.  They  had  not  been  seen. 
A  moment  afterward,  however,  all  anxiety  was  dispelled,  for 
among  the  topmost  boughs  I  heard  their  young  voices  raised 
in  the  evening  hymn.  Instead  of  descending,  they  had,  while 
I  was  busy,  climbed  upward,  and  had  been  sitting  in  silent 
admiration  of  the  moonlight  scene,  high  above  me.  They  now 
joined  us,  and  my  wife  showed  me  the  results  of  her  labor. 
She  had  made  two  complete  sets  of  harness.  I  congratulated 
her  upon  her  success,  and  we  then  sat  down  to  supper.  On  4 
cloth  spread  out  upon  the  grass  were  arranged  a  roast  shoulder 
of  porcupine,  a  delicious  bowl  of  soup  made  from  a  piece  of  the 
same  animal,  cheese,  butter,  and  biscuits,  forming  a  most  tempt- 
ing repast.  Having  done  this  ample  justice,  we  collected  our 
cattle,  and  the  pigeons  and  fowls  having  retired  to  roost  o» 
the  neighboring  trees,  and  on  the  steps  of  our  ladder,  we  mad* 
up  a  glorious  fire  to  keep  off  any  prowling  wild  beasts,  and  our- 
selves lay  down.  The  children,  in  spite  of  the  novelty  of  thft 
hammocks,  were  quickly  asleep.  In  vain  I  tried  to  follow  their 
example  ;  a  thousand  anxious  thoughts  presented  themselves^ 
and  as  quickly  as  I  dispelled  them  others  rose  in  their  place. 
The  night  worn  on,  and  I  was  still  awake  j  the  fire  burned  low* 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSOHf.  & 

And  I  rose  and  replenished  it  with  dry  fuel  Then  again  I 
climbed  into  my  hammock,  and  toward  morning  fell  asleep. 

Early  next  morning  we  were  astir,  and  dispersed  to  our 
various  occupations.  My  wife  milked  the  goats  and  cow,  while 
we  gave  the  animals  their  food,  after  which  we  went  down  to 
the  beach  to  collect  more  wood  for  our  building  operations.  To 
the  larger  beams  we  harnessed  the  cow  and  ass,  while  we  our- 
selves  dragged  up  the  remainder.  Fritz  and  I  then  ascended 
the  tree,  and  finished  the  preparations  I  had  begun  the  night 
Ibefore,  all  useless  boughs  we  lopped  off,  leaving  a  few  about 
six  feet  from  the  floor,  from  which  we  might  sling  our  hammocks, 
and  others  still  higher,  to  support  a  temporary  roof  of  sailcloth. 
My  wife  made  fast  the  planks  to  a  rope  passed  through  the 
fclock  I  had  fixed  to  the  boughs  above  us,  and  by  this  means 
Fritz  and  I  hauled  them  up.  These  we  arranged  side  by  side 
on  the  foundation  of  boughs,  so  as  to  form  a  smooth  solid  floor, 
and  round  this  platform  built  a  bulwark  of  planks,  and  then 
throwing  the  sailcloth  over  the  higher  branches,  we  drew  it 
down  and  firmly  nailed  it.  Our  house  was  thus  enclosed  on 
three  sides,  for  behind  the  great  trunk  protected  us,  while  the 
front  was  left  open  to  admit  the  fresh  sea  breeze  which  blew 
directly  in.  We  then  hauled  up  our  hammocks  and  bedding 
and  slung  them  from  the  branches  we  had  left  for  that  purpose. 
A  few  hours  of  daylight  still  remaining,  we  cleared  the  floor 
of  leaves  and  chips,  and  then  descended  to  fashion  a  table 
»nd  a  few  benches  from  the  remainder  of  the  wood.  After 
working  like  slaves  all  day,  Fritz  and  I  flung  ourselves  on  the 
grass,  while  my  wife  arranged  supper  on  the  table  we  had 
made. 

"  Come,"  said  she  at  length,  "  come  and  taste  flamingo  stew, 
and  tell  me  how  you  like  it.  Ernest  assured  me  that  it  would 
be  much  better  stewed  than  roasted,  and  I  have  been  following 
Ms  directions." 

Laughing  at  the  idea  of  Ernest  turning  scientific  cook,  we 
fiat  down.  The  fowls  gathered  round  us  to  pick  up  the  crumbs, 
and  the  tame  flamingo  joined  them,  while  Master  Knips  skipped 
about  from  one  to  the  other,  chattering  and  mimicking  our" 
gestures  continually.  To  my  wife's  joy,  the  sow  appeared 
shortly  after,  and  was  presented  with  all  the  milk  that  remained 
from  the  day's  stock  that  she  might  be  persuaded  to  return 
every  night. 

"  For,"  said  my  wife,  "  this  surplus  milk  is  really  of  no  use 
to  us,  as  it  will  be  sour  before  the  morning  in  this  hot  climate." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  I  replied,  "  but  we  must  contrive  to 


08  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

make  it  of  use.  The  next  time  Fritz  and  I  return  to  the  wreefc 
we  will  bring  off  a  churn  among  the  other  things  we  require.** 

"  Must  you  really  go  again  to  that  dreadful  wreck  ?  "  said 
my  wife  shuddering.  "  You  have  no  idea  how  anxious  I  am 
when  you  are  away  there." 

"  Go  we  must,  I  am  afraid,"  I  replied,  "  but  not  for  a  day 
or  two  yet.  Come,  it  is  getting  late.  We  and  the  chickens 
must  go  to  roost." 

We  lit  our  watch-fires,  and,  leaving  the  dogs  on  guard  be- 
low, ascended  the  ladder.  Fritz,  Ernest,  and  Jack  were  up  in 
a  moment.  Their  mother  followed  very  cautiously,  for  though 
she  had  originated  the  idea  of  building  a  nest,  she  yet  hesi- 
tated to  entrust  herself  at  such  a  terrific  height  from  the 
ground.  When  she  was  safely  landed  in  the  house,  taking 
little  Franz  on  my  back,  I  let  go  the  fastenings  which  secured 
•"iie  lower  end  of  the  ladder  to  the  ground,  and  swinging  to  and 
fro,  slowly  ascended. 

Then  for  the  first  time  we  stood  all  together  in  our  new 
home.  I  drew  up  the  ladder,  and,  with  a  gi'eater  sense  of 
security  than  I  had  enjoyed  since  we  landed  on  the  island, 
offered  up  our  evening  prayer,  and  retired  for  the  night. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  day  of  rest  —  A  parable  for  the  young  people  —  Quiet  recreation  —  Geo- 
graphical nomenclature  —  The  margay  and  porcupine  skins  made  of 
use  —  An  expedition  to  Tentholm  —  Potatoes,  potatoes  —  Tropical  vege- 
tation —  The  use  of  the  Karatas  —  Jack's  greediness  and  its  punishment 

—  Ernest  discovers  cochineal  —  Arrive  at  Tentholm  —  The  poultry  re- 
bellious —  Return  to  Falconhurst  —  Ernest  roused  out  early  —  We  col- 
lect wood  for  a  sledge  —  Master  Knips  turns  thief  —  Franz's  plan  for 
the  saving  of  ammunition  —  Ernest  and  I  take  the  sledge  to  Tentholm 

—  Ernest's  laziness  exemplified  —  He  catches  a  salmon  —  We  start  for 
home  —  Kill  a  kangaroo  —  And  cook  it. 


morning  all  were  early  awake,  and  the  children  sprang 
jibout  the  tree  like  young  monkeys. 

;  What  shall  we  begin  to  do,  father  ?  "  they  cried.  "  What 
do  you  want  us  to  do  to-day  ?  " 

"Rest,  my  boys,"  I  replied,  "rest." 

"  Rest  ?  "  repeated  they.     "  Why  should  we  rest  ?  " 

"  '  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor  and  do  all  that  thou  hast  to  do, 
but  on  the  seventh,  thou  shalt  dp  no  manner  of  work.'  Thig 
is  the  seventh  day,"  I  replied,  "  on  it,  therefore,  let  us  rest." 

"  What,  is  it  really  Sunday  ?  "  asked  Jack  ;  "  how  jolly  1  oh, 


THB   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBUfSOlT.  50 

I  won't  do  any  work  ;  but  I'll  take  a  bow  and  arrow  and  shoot- 
and  we'll  climb  about  the  tree  and  have  fun  all  day." 

"  That  is  not  resting,"  said  I,  "  that  is  not  the  way  you  ar*» 
accustomed  to  spend  the  Lord's  day." 

"No  !  but  then  we  can't  go  to  church  here,  and  there  i» 
nothing  else  to  do." 

"  We  can  worship  here  as  well  as  at  home,"  said  I. 

"  But  there  is  no  church,  no  clergyman,  and  no  organ,"  said 
Franz. 

"  The  leafy  shade  of  this  great  tree  is  far  more  beautiful 
than  any  church,"  I  said  ;  "  there  will  we  worship  our  Creator. 
Come,  boys,  down  with  you  :  turn  our  dining  hall  into  a  break* 
fast  room." 

The  children,  one  by  one,  slipped  down  the  ladder. 

"My  dear  Elizabeth,"  said  I,  "  this  morning  we  will  devot« 
to  the  service  of  the  Lord,  and  by  means  of  a  parable,  I  will 
endeavor  to  give  the  children  some  serious  thoughts ;  but, 
without  books,  or  the  possibility  of  any  of  the  usual  Sunday 
occupations,  we  cannot  keep  them  quiet  the  whole  day ;  after- 
ward, therefore,  I  shall  allow  them  to  pursue  any  innocent 
recreation  they  choose,  and  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  we  will 
take  a  walk." 

My  wife  entirely  agreed  with  my  proposal,  and  having 
breakfasted,  the  family  assembled  round  me,  as  we  sat  in  th« 
pleasant  shade  on  the  fresh,  soft  green  grass. 

After  singing  some  hymns  and  offering  heartfelt  prayers  to 
the  Almighty  giver  of  all  good,  I  told  the  children  I  would  re- 
late to  them  a  parable  instead  of  preaching  a  sermon. 

"  Oh,  that  would  be  delightful !  I  like  the  parables  in  the 
Bible  better  than  anything,"  said  Franz.  "  When  can  we  hear 
you  read  out  of  the  Bible  again,  father  ?  " 

"  Ah,  my  little  boy,  your  words  reproach  me,"  returned  I. 
K  While  eagerly  striving  to  procure  from  the  ship  what  would 
( feed  our  bodies  and  provide  for  their  comfort,  I  blush  to  think 
;  that  I  have  neglected  the  Bread  of  Life,  the  word  of  God.  I 
shall  search  for  a  Bible  on  my  next  return  to  the  wreck  :  al- 
though our  own  books  were  nearly  all  destroyed,  I  am  pretty 
sure  to  find  one." 

At  these  words  my  wife  arose,  and,  fetching  her  magic  bag, 
she  drew  from  it  a  copy  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  I 
thankfully  received  from  her  hand  ;  and,  after  reading  aloud 
from  its  sacred  pages,  I  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  A  Great  King,  ruling  in  power  and  splendor  over  a  vast 
tealm  of  light  and  love,  possessed  within  its  boundaries  a  des- 


00  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

olate  and  unfruitful  island.  This  spot  he  made  the  object  of 
his  special  care  ;  and,  lavishing  on  it  all  the  varied  resources 
of  his  might  and  goodness,  it  bloomed  in  beauty,  and  became 
the  happy  residence  of  a  band  of  colonists,  who  were  charged 
not  only  with  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  the  soil,  but 
each,  individually,  was  bound  to  cherish  in  his  soul  the  spirit 
of  love  and  true  allegiance  to  his  Sovereign.  While  this  faith- 
ful union  was  maintained,  the  colony  flourished ;  and  the 
noblest  virtues  exalted  and  rendered  happy  the  existence  of 
every  member  of  the  race.  That  a  discontented  and  rebellious 
spirit  should  ever  have  infected  these  fortunate  subjects  of  so 
Joving  a  master,  seems  incredible,  yet  so  it  was  ;  disobedience 
and  pride  brought  misery  and  punishment,  the  fair  prospects 
of  the  colony  were  blighted,  the  labors  of  the  colonists  were 
unblessed,  and  total  separation  from  the  parent  kingdom 
seemed  inevitable.  A  message  of  pardon — of  free  forgiveness 
— was  nevertheless  accorded  to  these  rebels ;  and  to  all  who, 
humbly  accepting  it,  molded  their  future  lives  to  the  will  of 
the  Great  King  (now  revealed  in  a  character  even  more  gra- 
cious than  before),  was  held  out  the  promise  of  removal  at  last 
from  among  the  ruins  caused  by  the  great  rebellion,  to  the 
glory  and  undimmed  splendor  of  the  realm  of  Light  and 
Blessedness." 

Having  interested  the  children,  I  then,  leaving  allegory, 
pressed  simply  and  earnestly  home  to  each  young  heart  the 
truths  I  sought  to  teach  ;  and,  with  a  short  prayer  for  a  bless* 
ing  on  my  words,  brought  the  service  to  a  close. 

After  a  thoughtful  pause,  we  separated,  and  each  employed 
himself  as  he  felt  disposed. 

I  took  some  arrows  and  endeavored  to  point  them  with 
porcupine  quills. 

Franz  came  to  beg  me  make  a  little  bow  and  arrow  for  him 
to  shoot  with,  while  Fritz  asked  my  advice  about  the  tiger 
oat  skin  and  the  cases  he  was  to  contrive  from  it.  Jack  assisted 
with  the  arrow  making,  and  inserting  a  sharp  spine  at  one  end 
of  each  reed  made  it  fast  with  pack-thread,  and  began  to  wish 
for  glue  to  ensure  its  remaining  firm. 

"  O  Jack  I  Mamma's  soup  is  as  sticky  as  anything  1 "  cried 
Franz  ;  "  shall  I  run  and  ask  for  a  cake  of  it  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  little  goose  !  better  look  for  some  real  glue  in  the 
tool-box." 

"  There  he  will  find  glue,  to  be  sure,"  said  I,  "  and  the  soup 
would  scarcely  have  answered  your  purpose.  But  Jack,  my 
boy,  I  do  not  like  to  hear  you  ridicule  your  little  brother** 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   EOBIKSOK.  61 

ideas.  Some  of  the  most  valuable  discoveries  have  Deen  the 
result  of  thoughts  which  originally  appeared  no  wiser  than 
his/' 

While  thus  directing  and  assisting  my  sons,  we  were  sur- 
prised by  hearing  a  shot  just  over  our  heads  ;  at  the  same 
moment  two  small  birds  fell  dead  at  our  feet,  and  looking  up, 
we  beheld  Ernest  among  the  branches,  as  bending  his  face 
joyfully  toward  us,  he  cried,  "  Well  hit !  well  hit !  a  good 
shot,  wasn't  it?" 

Then  slipping  down  the  ladder,  and  picking  up  the  birds, 
he  brought  them  to  me.  One  was  a  kind  of  thrush,  the  other 
a  small  dove  called  the  ortolan,  and  esteemed  a  very  great 
delicacy  on  account  of  its  exquisite  flavor.  As  the  figs  on 
which  these  birds  came  to  feed  were  only  just  beginning  to 
ripen,  it  was  probable  that  they  would  soon  flock  in  numbers 
to  our  trees  ;  and  by  waiting  until  we  could  procure  them  in 
large  quantities,  we  might  provide  ourselves  with  valuable 
food  for  the  rainy  season,  by  placing  them,  when  half  cooked, 
in  cases  with  melted  lard  or  butter  poured  over  them. 

By  this  time  Jack  had  pointed  a  good  supply  of  arrows,  and 
industriously  practiced  archery.  I  finished  the  bow  and 
arrows  for  Franz,  and  expected  to  be  left  in  peace  ;  but  the 
young  man  next  demanded  a  quiver,  and  I  had  to  invent  that 
also,  to  complete  his  equipment.  It  was  easily  done  by  strip- 
ping a  piece  of  bark  from  a  small  tree,  fitting  a  flat  side  and  a 
bottom  to  it,  and  then  a  string.  Attaching  it  to  his  shoulders, 
the  youthful  hunter  filled  it  with  arrows  and  went  off  ;  look- 
ing, as  his  mother  said,  like  an  innocent  little  Cupid,  bent  on 
conquest. 

Not  long  after  this,  we  were  summoned  to  dinner,  and  all 
right  willingly  obeyed  the  call. 

During  the  meal  I  interested  the  boys  very  much  by  pro- 
posing to  decide  on  suitable  names  for  the  different  spots  we 
had  visited  on  this  coast.  | 

"  For,"  said  I,  "  it  will  become  more  and  more  troublesome 
to  explain  what  we  mean,  unless  we  do  so.  Beside  which,  we 
shall  feel  much  more  at  home  if  we  can  talk  as  people  do  in 
inhabited  countries  :  instead  of  saying,  for  instance,  'the  little 
island  at  the  mouth  of  our  bay,  where  we  found  the  dead 
shark,' '  the  large  stream  near  our  tent,  across  which  we  made 
the  bridge,'  *  that  wood  where  we  found  cocoanuts,  and  caught 
the  monkey,'  and  so  on.  Let  us  begin  by  naming  the  bay  in 
which  we  landed.  What  shall  we  call  it  ?  " 

"  Oyster  Bay,"  said  FriU. 


62  TELE  SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

"  No,  no  ! — Lobster  Bay,"  cried  Jack,  "  in  memory  of  the 
old  fellow  who  took  a  fancy  to  my  leg  ! " 

"  I  think,"  observed  his  mother, "  that,  in  token  of  gratitude 
for  our  escape,  we  should  call  it  Safety  Bay." 

This  name  met  with  general  approbation,  and  was  forth- 
with fixed  upon. 

Other  names  were  quickly  chosen.  Our  first  place  of  abode 
we  called  Tentholm  ;  the  islet  in  the  bay,  Shark's  Island  ;  and 
^ie  reeay  swamp,  Flamingo  Marsh.  It  was  some  time  before 
the  serious  question  of  a  name  for  our  leafy  castle  could  be 
decided.  But  finally  it  was  entitled  Falconhurst ;  *  and  we 
then  rapidly  named  the  few  remaining  points  :  Prospect  Hill, 
the  eminence  we  first  ascended  ;  Cape  Disappointment,  from 
whose  rocky  heights  we  had  strained  our  eyes  in  vain  search 
for  our  ship's  company  ;  and  Jackal  River,  as  a  name  for  the 
large  stream  at  our  landing  place,  concluded  our  geographical 
nomenclature. 

In  the  afternoon  the  boys  went  on  with  their  various  em- 
ployments. Fritz  finished  his  cases,  and  Jack  asked  my  as- 
sistance in  carrying  out  his  plan  of  making  ?  cuirass  for  Turk 
out  of  the  porcupine  skin.  After  thoroughly  cleansing  the 
inside,  we  cut  and  fitted  it  round  the  body  of  the  patient 
dog ;  then  when  strings  were  sewn  on  and  it  became  toler- 
ably dry,  he  was  armed  with  this  ingenious  coat  of  mail,  and 
a  most  singular  figure  he  cut ! 

Juno  strongly  objected  to  his  friendly  approaches,  and  got 
out  of  his  way  as  fast  as  she  could  ;  and  it  was  clear  that  he 
would  easily  put  to  flight  the  fiercest  animal  he  might  en- 
counter, while  protected  by  armor  at  once  defensive  and 
offensive. 

I  determined  to  make  also  a  helmet  for  Jack  out  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  skin,  which  to  his  infinite  delight  I  speedily 
did. 

Amid  these  interesting  occupations  the  evening  drew  on, 
and  after  a  pleasant  walk  among  the  sweet  glades  near  our 
abode,  we  closed  our  Sabbath  day  with  prayer  and  a  glad 
hymn  of  praise,  retiring  to  rest  with  peaceful  hearts. 

Next  morning,  I  proposed  an  expedition  to  Tentholm,  say- 
ing I  wished  to  make  my  way  thither  by  a  different  route. 
We  left  the  tree  well  armed  ;  I  and  my  three  elder  sons  each 
carrying  a  gun  and  game  bag,  while  little  Franz  was  equipped 
with  his  bow  and  quiver  full  of  arrows.  A  most  curious 
party  we  formed :  Fritz,  adorned  with  his  belt  of  margay 
*  Horst,  in  German,  means  "  nest "  or  "  eyrie." 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   EOBINSOW.  63 

skin,  and  Jack,  with  his  extraordinary  head-dress,  looked  like 
a  couple  of  young  savages.  Their  mother  and  I  walked  to- 
gether :  she,  of  the  whole  party,  being  the  only  one  unarmed, 
carried  a  jar  in  which  to  get  butter  from  Tentholm  ;  we  were 
preceded  by  the  dogs — Turk  armed  most  effectually  with  his 
cuirass  of  porcupine  skin,  and  Juno  keeping  at  a  respectful 
distance  from  so  formidable  a  companion.  Master  Knips 
fully  intended  to  mount  his  charger  as  usual  ;  but  when  he 
saw  him  arrayed  apparently  in  a  new  skin,  he  approached  him 
carefully,  and  touching  him  with  one  paw,  discovered  that 
such  a  hide  would  make  anything  but  an  agreeable  seat ;  the 
grimace  he  made  was  most  comical,  and  chattering  vocif  er- 
ously  he  bounded  toward  Juno,  skipped  on  her  back,  seated 
himself,  and  soon  appeared  perfectly  reconciled  to  the  change 
of  steed.  The  flamingo  saw  us  starting,  and,  having  been 
much  petted  during  the  last  day  or  two,  considered  himself 
entitled  to  accompany  us  ;  for  some  time  he  kept  beside  the 
children,  following  first  one  and  then  another  as  they  explored 
the  wood  on  either  side  ;  their  irregular  course,  however, 
at  length  disgusted  him,  and,  abandoning  them,  he  walked 
sedately  by  my  side.  We  strolled  on  in  the  cool  air,  follow- 
ing the  course  of  the  stream  ;  the  great  trees  overshad- 
owed us,  and  the  cool,  green  sward  stretched  away  be- 
tween them  at  our  feet.  The  boys  roamed  ahead  of  me, 
intent  on  exploration.  Presently  I  heard  a  joyful  shout,  and 
saw  Ernest  running  at  full  speed  toward  me,  followed  by  his 
brothers.  In  his  hand  he  held  a  plant,  and,  panting  for 
breath,  and  with  sparkling  eyes,  he  held  it  up  to  me. 

"  Potatoes  !  potatoes  !  father,"  he  gasped  out. 

"  Yes,"  said  Jack,  "  acres  and  acres  of  potatoes  !  " 

"  My  dear  Ernest,"  said  I,  for  there  was  no  mistaking  the 
flower  and  leaf,  and  the  light  dear-green  bulbous  roots,  "  you 
have  indeed  made  a  discovery  ;  with  the  potato  we  shall  never 
starve." 

"  But  come  and  look  at  them,"  said  Jack,  "  come  and  feast 
your  eyes  on  thousands  of  potatoes." 

We  hurried  to  the  spot :  there,  spread  out  before  us,  was  a 
great  tract  of  ground,  covered  with  the  precious  plant. 

"  It  would  have  been  rather  difficult,"  remarked  Jack, "  not 
to  have  discovered  such  a  great  field." 

"  Very  likely,"  replied  Ernest,  smiling  ;  "  but  I  doubt  if  you 
would  have  discovered  that  it  was  a  potato  field." 

"  Perhaps  not,"  said  Jack,  ;  you  are  quite  welcome,  at  all 
events,  to  the  honor  of  the  discovery  ;  I'll  have  the  honor  of 


64  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   KOBINSOX. 

being  the  first  to  get  a  supply  of  them."  So  saying,  bs  dug 
up,  with  hands  and  knife,  a  number  of  plants,  and  fihed  hig 
game  bag  with  the  roots.  The  monkey  followed  his  example, 
and  scratching  away  with  his  paws  most  cleverly,  soon  had  a 
heap  beside  him.  So  delighted  were  we  with  the  discovery, 
and  so  eager  were  we  to  possess  a  large  supply  of  the  roots, 
that  we  stopped  not  digging  until  every  bag,  pouch,  and 
pocket  was  tilled.  Some  wished  to  return  at  once  to  Falcon- 
\  hurst,  to  cook  and  taste  our  new  acquisition  ;  but  this  I  over- 
ruled, and  we  continued  our  march,  heavily  laden,  bat  de- 
lighted. 

"  How,"  said  I,  "  can  we  thank  the  Giver  of  all  these  bless* 
Llgs,  sufficiently  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  said  Franz,  "  we  can  say, '  We  thank  thee,  O  Lord, 
for  all  thy  goodness  and  mercy ;  and  bless  us  for  Jesus 
Christ's  sake.  Amen.' " 

"  That  would  not  be  sufficient,"  said  Fritz.  "  Do  you  think 
it  would-be  enough,  just  to  say  to  father  and  mother  :  <r£hank 
you  for  all  you  do,'  and  not  to  show  that  we  were  really 
thankful,  by  loving  them  and  doing  what  we  can  to  please 
them  ?  " 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Fritz,"  said  I ;  "  Franz  did  not  say  all 
that  was  necessary,  he  should  have  added,  '  Give  me  grace  to 
do  Thy  will,  and  to  obey  Thee  in  all  things.'  " 

As  we  thus  talked,  we  reached  the  head  of  our  streamlet, 
where  it  fell  from  the  rocks  above  in  a  beautiful,  sparkling, 
splashing  cascade.  We  crossed  and  entered  the  tall  grass  on 
the  other  side.  We  forced  our  way  through  with  difficulty, 
so  thick  and  tangled  were  the  reeds.  Beyond  this,  the  land- 
scape was  most  lovely.  Rich  tropical  vegetation  flourished  on 
every  side  :  the  tall,  stately  palms,  surrounded  by  luxuriant 
ferns ;  brilliant  flowers  and  graceful  creepers  ;  the  prickly 
cactus,  shooting  up  amidst  them  ;  aloe,  jarmine,  and  sweet- 
scented  vanilla  ;  the  Indian  pea,  and  above  all  the  regal  pine- 
apple, loaded  the  breath  of  the  evening  breeze  with  their  rich 
perfume.  The  boys  were  delighted  with  the  pine-apple,  and 
so  eagerly  did  they  fall  to,  that  my  wife  had  to  caution  them 
that  there  were  no  doctors  on  our  territory,  and  if  they  be- 
came ill,  they  would  have  to  cure  themselves  as  best  they 
might. 

This  advice,  however,  seemed  to  have  small  effect  on  my 
sons,  and  showing  Knips  what  they  wanted,  they  sent  him 
after  the  ripest  and  best  fruit. 

While  they  were  thus  employed,  I  examined  the  other 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  65 

shrubs  and  trashes.  Among  these  I  presently  noticed  ome 
which  I  knew  well  from  description  to  be  the  karatas. 

"  Come  here,  boys,"  I  said  ;  "  here  is  something  of  far  more 
value  than  your  pine-apples.  Do  you  see  that  plant  with  long 
pointed  leaves  and  beautiful  red  flower?  That  is  the  karatas. 
The  filaments  of  the  leaves  make  capital  thread,  while  the 
leaves  themselves,  bruised,  form  an  invaluable  salve.  The 
pith  of  this  wonderful  plant  may  be  used  either  for  tinder  or^ 
bait  for  fish.  Suppose,  Ernest,  you  had  been  wrecked  here3 
how  would  you  have  made  a  fire  without  matches,  or  flint  and 
steel?" 

"  As  the  savages  do,"  replied  he  ;  "I  would  rub  two  pieces 
of  wood  together  until  they  kindled." 

"  Try  it,"  I  said  ;  "  but,  if  you  please,  try  it  when  you  have 
a  whole  day  before  you,  and  no  other  work  to  be  done,  for  I  am 
certain  it  would  be  night  before  you  accomplished  the  feat. 
But  g«ee  here,"  and  I  broke  a  dry  twig  from  the  karatas,  and 
peeling  off  the  bark,  laid  the  pith  upon  a  stone.  I  struck  a 
couple  of  pebbles  over  it,  and  they  emitting  a  spark,  the  pith 
caught  fire. 

The  boys  were  delighted  with  the  experiment.  I  then 
drew  some  of  the  threads  from  the  leaves,  and  presented  them 
to  my  wife. 

"  But  what,"  said  Fritz,  "  is  the  use  of  all  these  other 
prickly  plants,  except  to  annoy  one  ?  Here,  for  instance,  is  a 
disagreeable  little  tree." 

"  That  is  an  Indian  fig,"  said  I.  "  It  grows  best  on  dry, 
rocky  ground  ;  for  most  of  its  nourishment  is  derived  from  the 
air.  Its  juice  is  used,  I  believe,  medicinally,  while  its  fruit  is 
pleasant  and  wholesome." 

Master  Jack  was  off  in  a  moment  when  he  heard  of  a  new 
delicacy,  and  attempted  to  gather  some  of  the  fruit,  but  in  vain; 
the  sharp  thorns  defied  his  efforts,  and  with  bleeding  hands, 
and  rueful  countenance,  he  returned.  I  removed  the  thorns 
from  his  hands,  and  making  a  sharp  wooden  skewer,  I  thrust 
*t  into  a  fig,  and  quickly  twisted  it  from  its  branch  and  split  it 
open  with  a  knife,  still  holding  it  upon  the  skewer.  The  rest 
followed  my  example,  and  we  regaled  ourselves  upon  the  f  rait, 
which  we  found  excellent.  Ernest  carefully  examined  the 
fig  he  was  eating.  "  What  are  these,"  he  exclaimed  presently  ; 
"  little  red  insects  !  they  cling  all  over  the  fruit,  and  I  cannot 
shake  them  off.  Can  they  be  cochineal  ?  " 

He  handed  me  the  fig,  and  I  examined  it  attentively. 

"  You  are  quite  right,  mv  boy,"  I  said  ;  "  there  is  no  doubt  this 


06  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBFNSOH. 

is  the  real  cochineal.  However,  though  it  is  worth  its  weight 
in  gold  to  European  traders,  it  is  of  little  use  to  us,  I  am  afraid, 
unless  any  of  you  care  to  appear  in  gay  colors.  The  cochineal, 
you  know,  forms  the  most  lovely  scarlet  dye." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  said  Jack,  "  but  we  will  take  a  lot  of  it 
when  we  go  home  again.  Now  let  us  find  something  more 
useful  to  us."  And  they  thereupon  plied  me  incessantly  with 
'questions  concerning  every  plant  and  shrub  we  passed. 
'  "  Stop,  stop,"  I  said  at  length  ;  "  the  most  learned  natural- 
ist would  be  much  puzzled  with  many  of  these  trees,  and  I  who 
have  never  seen  any  of  them  before,  and  know  them  merely 
by  description,  cannot  pretend  to  tell  you  the  names,  or  ex- 
plain to  you  the  use  of  one-quarter  of  them." 

Discussing,  however,  the  properties  of  such  shrubs  as  I 
did  know,  we  at  length  reached  Tentholm.  Everything  was 
safe,  and  we  set  to  work  to  collect  what  we  wanted.  I  opened 
the  butter  cask,  from  which  my  wife  filled  her  pot.  Fritz  saw 
after  the  ammunition,  and  Jack  and  Ernest  ran  down  to  the 
beach  to  capture  the  geese  and  ducks.  This  they  found  no 
easy  matter,  for  the  birds,  left  so  long  alone,  were  shy,  and 
nothing  would  induce  them  to  come  on  shore  and  be  caught. 
Ernest  at  length  hit  upon  an  ingenious  plan.  He  took  some 
pieces  of  cheese,  and  tied  them  to  long  strings.  This  bait  he 
threw  into  the  water,  and  the  hungry  ducks  instantly  made  a 
grab  at  it ;  then  with  a  little  skillful  maneuvering  he  drew  them, 
on  shore.  While  Jack  and  he  were  thus  busily  employed  catch- 
ing and  tying  the  rebels  together  by  the  feet,  we  procured  a 
fresh  supply  of  salt,  which  we  packed  upon  Turk's  back,  first 
relieving  him  of  his  coat  of  mail.  The  birds  we  fastened  to 
our  game  bags,  and  carefully  closing  the  door  of  our  tent, 
started  homeward  by  the  seashore.  After  a  cheerful  and 
pleasant  walk,  we  once  more  reached  our  woodland  abode.  I 
released  the  birds  and,  clipping  their  wings  to  prevent  their 
leaving  us,  established  them  on  the  stream.  Then,  after  a  de- 
licious supper  of  potatoes,  milk,  and  butter,  we  ascended  our 
|  tree  and  turned  in. 

Having  remarked  a  great  deal  of  driftwood  on  the  sands 
the  preceding  evening,  it  occurred  to  me  that  it  would  be 
well  to  get  some  of  it,  and  make  a  kind  of  sledge,  so  that  the 
labor  of  fetching  what  we  wanted  from  our  stores  at  Tent- 
holm  might  not  fall  so  heavily  on  ourselves. 

I  awoke  early,  and  roused  Ernest  as  my  assistant,  wishing 
\o  encourage  him  to  overcome  his  natural  fault  of  indolence. 
After  a  little  stretching  and  yawning,  he  got  up  cheer- 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON".  6V 

fully,  pleased  with  the  idea  of  an  expedition  while  the  others 
still  slept,  and  we  made  our  way  to  the  beach,  taking  with 
us  the  donkey,  who  drew  a  large  broad  bough,  which  I  ex- 
pected to  find  useful  in  bringing  back  our  load. 

As  we  went  along,  I  remarked  to  Ernest  that  I  supposed  he 
was  rather  sorry  for  himself,  and  grudged  leaving  his  cozy 
hammock  and  pleasant  dreams  at  this  untimely  hour. 

"  Oh,  father,  do  not  laugh  at  my  laziness  !  Indeed,  I  mean 
to  cure  myself  of  it.  I  am  very  glad  to  go  with  you.  I 
intended  to  shoot  some  more  of  the  ortolans  this  morning,  but 
there  will  be  plenty  of  time  afterward.  The  boys  will  be 
shooting  at  them,  I  daresay,  but  I  don't  expect  they  will  hare 
any  great  luck." 

"  Why  not,  pray  ?  "  inquired  I. 

"  I  don't  believe  they  will  know  what  shot  to  use  at  first, 
and,  besides,  they  will  most  likely  shoot  upward  at  the  birds 
and  be  sure  to  miss  them,  on  account  of  the  great  height 
and  thickness  of  the  branches  and  foliage." 

"  Well,  Ernest,  you  certainly  possess  the  gifts  of  prudence 
and  reflection,  as  well  as  observation.  These  are  valuable ; 
but  sudden  action  is  so  often  necessary  in  life,  that  I  ad- 
vise you  to  cultivate  the  power  of  instantly  perceiving  and 
deciding  what  must  be  done  in  cases  of  emergency.  Presence 
of  mind  is  a  precious  quality,  which,  although  natural  in  some 
characters,  may  be  acquired  in  a  certain  degree  by  all  who 
train  themselves  to  it." 

Once  on  the  seashore,  our  work  was  quickly  accomplished, 
for,  selecting  the  wood  I  thought  fit  for  my  purpose,  we  laid 
it  across  the  broad,  leafy  branch,  and,  with  some  help  from 
us,  the  donkey  dragged  a  very  fair  load  of  it  homeward,  with 
the  addition  of  a  small  chest,  which  I  raised  from  among  the 
sand,  which  nearly  covered  it. 

We  heard  the  boys  popping  away  at  the  birds  as  we 
drew  near.  They  hastened  to  meet  us,  and  inquired  where  we 
had  been,  looking  curiously  at  the  chest,  which  I  allowed 
them  to  open,  while  I  asked  my  wife  to  excuse  our  "  absenca 
without  leave,"  and  after  submitting  to  her  gentle  reprimand, 
I  explained  my  plan  for  a  sledge,  which  pleased  her  greatly, 
and  she  already  imagined  it  loaded  with  her  hogshead  of 
butter,  and  on  its  way  from  Tentholm  to  Falconhurst. 

The  chest  proved  to  be  merely  that  of  a  common  sailor, 
containing  his  clothes,  very  much  wetted  by  the  sea  water. 

The  boys  exhibited  an  array  of  several  dozen  birds,  and  re- 
lated, during  breakfast,  the  various  incidents  of  failure  and 


68  THB   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON1. 

success  which  had  attended  their  guns.  Ernest  had  rightly 
guessed  the  mistakes  they  would  make,  but  practice  was  mak- 
ing them  perfect,  and  they  seemed  disposed  to  continue  thei* 
sport,  when  their  mother,  assuring  them  that  she  could  not 
«ise  more  birds  than  those  already  killed,  asked  if  I  did  not 
think  some  means  of  snaring  them  might  be  contrived, 
as  much  powder  and  shot  would  be  expended  if  they  fired 
on  at  this  rate.  l 

Entirely  agreeing  with  this  view  of  the  subject,  I  desired 
the  lads  to  lay  aside  their  guns  for  the  present,  and  the 
younger  ones  readily  applied  themselves  to  making  snares 
of  the  long  threads  drawn  from  the  leaves  of  the  karatas,  in  a 
simple  way  I  taught  them,  while  Fritz  and  Ernest  gave  me 
substantial  assistance  in  the  manufacture  of  the  new  sledge. 

We  were  busily  at  work,  when  a  tremendous  disturbance 
among  our  fowls  led  us  to  suppose  that  a  fox  or  wild  cat  had 
got  into  their  midst. 

The  cocks  crowed  defiantly,  the  hens  fluttered  and  cackled 
in  a  state  of  the  wildest  excitement.  We  hastened  toward 
them,  but  Ernest  remarking  Master  Knips  slipping  away,  as 
though  conscious  of  some  misdemeanor,  went  to  watch  him, 
end  presently  caught  him  in  the  act  of  eating  a  new-laid  egg, 
which  he  had  carried  off  and  hidden  among  the  grasa  and 
roots.  Ernest  found  several  others.  These  were  very  wel- 
come to  my  wife,  for  hitherto  the  hens  had  not  presented 
us  with  any  eggs.  Hereafter  she  determined  to  imprison 
the  monkey  every  morning  until  the  eggs  had  been  collected. 

Soon  after  this,  as  Jack  was  setting  the  newly  made  snarei 
among  the  branches,  he  discovered  that  a  pair  of  our  own 
pigeons  were  building  in  the  tree.  It  was  very  desirable 
to  increase  our  stock  of  these  pretty  birds,  and  I  cautioned  the 
boys  against  shooting  near  our  tree  while  they  had  nests  there, 
and  also  with  regard  to  the  snares,  which  were  meant  only  to 
entrap  the  wild  fig-eaters. 

Although  my  sons  were  interested  in  setting  the  snare% 
they  by  no  means  approved  of  the  new  order  to  economize  the 
ammunition.  No  doubt  they  had  been  discussing  this  hard- 
ship, for  little  Franz  came  to  me  with  a  brilliant  proposal  of 
his  own. 

"  Papa,"  said  he,  "  why  should  not  we  begin  to  plant  some 
powder  and  shot  immediately  ?  It  would  be  so  much  more 
useful  than  bare  grain  for  the  fowls." 

His  brothers  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter,  and  I  must  co»» 
f ess  I  found  it  no  easy  matter  to  keep  my  countenance. 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  69 

"Come,  Ernest,"  said  I;  "now  we  have  had  our  amuse- 
ment, tell  tfoe  little  fellow  what  gunpowder  really  is." 

"It  is  not  seed  at  all,  Franz,"  Ernest  explained.  "Gun- 
powder is  made  of  charcoal,  sulphur,  and  saltpeter,  mixed 
cleverly  together  ;  so  you  see  it  cannot  be  sown  like  corn, 
any  more  than  shot  can  be  planted  like  peas  and  beans." 

My  carpentering  meantime  went  on  apace.  In  order  to 
shape  my  sledge  with  ends  properly  turned  up  in  front,  I  had 
chosen  wood  which  had  been  part  of  the  bow  of  the  vessel, 
and  was  curved  in  the  necessary  way  for  my  purpose.  Two 
pieces,  perfectly  similar,  formed  the  sides  of  my  sleigh,  or 
sledge,  and  I  simply  united  these  strongly  by  fixing  short 
bars  across  them.  Then,  when  the  ropes  of  the  donkey's 
harness  were  attached  to  the  raised  points  in  front,  the  equip- 
age was  complete  and  ready  for  use. 

My  attention  had  been  for  some  time  wholly  engrossed  by 
my  work,  and  I  only  now  observed  that  the  mother  and  her 
little  boys  had  been  busily  plucking  above  two  dozen  of  the 
wild  birds,  and  were  preparing  to  roast  them,  spitted  in  a  row 
on  a  long,  narrow  sword  blade,  belonging  to  one  of  our  ship'd 
officers. 

It  seemed  somewhat  wasteful  to  cook  so  many  at  once ;  but 
my  wife  explained  that  she  was  ottmg  them  ready  for  the 
butter-cask  I  was  going  to  fetch  for  her  on  the  new  sledge,  as 
I  had  advised  her  to  preserve  them  half -cooked,  and  packed 
in  butter. 

Amused  at  her  promptitude,  I  could  do  nothing  less  than 
promise  to  go  for  her  cask  directly  .after  dinner.  For  her 
part,  she  resolved  in  our  absence  to  have  a  £rand  wash  of 
linen  and  other  clothes,  and  she  advised  me  to  arrange  regular 
baths  for  all  the  boys  in  future. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  Ernest  and  I  were  ready  to  be  off, 
equipped  as  usual.  Fritz  presented  us  each  with  a  neat  casfr 
of  margay  skin  to  hang  at  our  girdles. 

We  harnessed  both  cow  and  ass  to  the  sledge,  and,  accom° 
panied  by  Juno,  cheerfully  took  our  departure,  choosing  the 
way  by  the  sands,  and  reaching  Tentholm  without  accident 
or  adventure. 

There  unharnessing  the  animals,  we  began  at  once  to  load 
the  sledge,  not  only  with  the  butter  cask,  but  with  a  powder 
chest,  a  barrel  of  cheese,  and  a  variety  of  other  articles — ball, 
shot,  tools,  and  Turk's  armor,  which  had  been  left  behind  on 
our  last  visit. 

Our  work  had  BO  closely  engaged  our  attention,  that  when 


70  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOK. 

we  ware  ready  to  leave  it  and  go  in  search  of  a  good  bathing 
place,  we  discovered  that  our  two  animals  had  wandered  quite 
out  of  sight,  having  crossed  the  bridge  to  reach  the  good 
.pasture  beyond  the  river. 

I  I  sent  Ernest  after  them,  and  went  alone  to  the  extremity 
of  the  bay.  It  terminated  in  bold  and  precipitous  cliffs,  which 
extended  into  the  deep  water,  and  rose  abruptly,  so  as  to 
form  an  inaccessible  wall  of  rock  and  crag.  Swampy  ground, 
overgrown  with  large  canes,  intervened  between  me  and  these 
cliffs.  I  cut  a  large  bundle  of  the  reeds,  and  returned  to* 
Ernest.  It  was  some  time  before  I  found  him,  comfortably 
extended  full  length  on  the  ground  near  the  tent,  and  sleep- 
ing as  sound  as  a  top,  while  the  cow  and  the  ass,  grazing  at 
will,  were  again  making  for  the  bridge. 

"  Get  up,  Ernest,  you  lazy  fellow  ! "  exclaimed  I,  much 
annoyed  ;  "  why  don't  yon  mind  your  business  ?  Look  at  the 
animals  !  They  will  be  over  the  river  again  ! " 

"No  fear  of  that,  father,"  returned  he,  with  the  utmost 
composure.  "  I  have  taken  a  couple  of  boards  off  the  bridge. 
They  won't  pass  the  gap." 

I  could  not  help  laughing  at  the  ingenious  device  by  which 
the  boy  had  spared  himself  all  trouble ;  at  the  same  time  I 
observed  that  it  is  wrong  to  waste  the  precious  moments  in 
sleep  when  duty  has  to  be  performed.  I  then  bid  him  go  and 
collect  some  salt,  which  was  wanted  at  home,  while  I  went  to 
bathe. 

On  coming  back,  much  refreshed,  I  again  missed  Ernest, 
and  began  to  wonder  whether  he  was  still  gathering  salt,  or 
whether  he  had  lain  down  somewhere  to  finish  his  nap,  when 
I  heard  him  loudly  calling  : 

"  Father,  father,  I've  caught  a  fish  !  an  immense  fellow  h» 
is.  I  can  scarcely  hold  him,  he  drags  the  line  so  !  " 

Hastening  toward  the  spot,  I  saw  the  boy  lying  in  the  grass, 
on  a  point  of  land  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  and  with 
all  his  might  keeping  hold  of  a  rod.  The  line  was  strained  to 
the  utmost  by  the  frantic  efforts  of  a  very  large  fish,  which 
was  attempting  to  free  itself  from  the  hook. 

I  quickly  took  the  rod  from  him,  and  giving  the  fish  more 
line,  led  him  by  degrees  into  shallow  water.  Ernest  ran  in 
with  his  hatchet  and  killed  him. 

It  proved  to  be  a  salmon  of  full  fifteen  pounds  weight,  and 
I  was  delighted  to  think  of  taking  such  a  valuable  prize  to 
the  mother. 

"  This  is  capital,  Ernest  1 "  cried  I ;  "  YOU  have  cleared 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  RO»INTSOW.  71 

yourself  for  once  of  the  charge  of  laziness  !  Let  us  now  cany 
this  spendid  salmon  to  the  sledge.  I  will  clean  and  pack  it 
for  the  journey,  that  it  may  arrive  in  good  condition,  while 
you  go  and  take  a  bath  in  the  sea." 

All  this  being  accomplished,  we  harnessed  our  beasts  to  the 
well-laden  vehicle,  and  replacing  the  boards  on  the  bridge, 
commenced  the  journey  home. 

We  kept  inland  this  time,  and  were  skirting  the  borders  of 
a  grassy  thicket,  when  Juno  suddenly  left  us,  and  plunging 
into  the  bushes,  with  fierce  barking  hunted  out,  right  in  front 
of  us,  the  most  singular-looking  creature  I  ever  beheld.  It 
was  taking  wonderful  flying  leaps,  apparently  in  a  sitting 
posture,  and  got  over  the  ground  at  an  astonishing  rate.  I 
attempted  to  shoot  it  as  it  passed,  but  missed.  Ernest,  who 
was  behind  me,  observed  its  movements  very  coolly,  and  see- 
ing that  the  dog  was  puzzled,  and  that  the  animal,  having 
paused,  was  crouching  among  the  grass,  went  cautiously 
nearer,  fired  at  the  spot  he  had  marked,  and  shot  it  dead. 

The  extraordinary  appearance  of  this  creature  surprised  ua 
very  much.  It  was  as  large  as  a  sheep,  its  head  was  shaped 
like  that  of  a  mouse  ;  its  skin  also  was  of  a  mouse  color,  it 
had  long  ears  like  a  hare,  and  a  tail  like  a  tiger's.  The 
fore-paws  resembled  those  of  a  squirrel,  but  they  seemed  only 
half-grown,  while  the  hind  legs  were  enormous,  and  so  long 
that,  when  upright  on  them,  the  animal  would  look  as  if 
mounted  on  stilts. 

For  some  time  we  stood  silently  wondering  at  the  remark- 
able creature  before  us.  I  could  not  recollect  to  have  seen  or 
heard  of  any  such. 

"  Well,  father,"  said  Ernest  at  last,  "  I  should  say  this  was 
about  the  queerest  beast  to  be  met  with  anywhere.  I  am  glad 
I  knocked  it  over.  How  they  will  all  stare  when  I  carry  it 
home ! " 

"  You  have  had  a  lucky  day  altogether,  certainly,"  said  I ; 
"  but  I  cannot  think  what  this  animal  can  be.  Examine  its 
teeth,  and  let  us  see  to  what  class  of  mammalia  it  belongs. 
We  may  be  led  to  guess  at  its  name  in  that  way." 

"  I  see  four  sharp  incisor  teeth,  father — two  upper,  and  two 
under,  as  a  squirrel  has." 

"  Ah  !  then  he  is  a  rodent.  What  rodents  can  you  re- 
member, Ernest  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  them  all,  but  there  are  the  mouse,  the  mar- 
mot, the  squirrel,  the  hare,  the  beaver,  the  jerboa " 

"  The  jerboa ! "  I  exclaimed,  "  the  jerboa  !  now  we  shall 


TS  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   EOBINSON. 

have  it.  This  is  really  very  like  a  jerboa,  only  far  larger. 
It  must  be  a  kangaroo,  one  of  the  class  of  animals  which  has  a 
pouch  or  purse  beneath  the  body,  in  which  its  young  can  take 
refuge.  They  were  discovered  in  New  Holland,  by  the  great 
Captain  Cook,  and  I  congratulate  you  on  being  the  first  to 
obtain  a  specimen  in  New  Switzerland  ! "  I  added,  laughing, 
as  I  extemporized  the  name. 

The  kangaroo  was  added  to  the  already  heavy  load  on  our 
sledge,  and  we  proceeded  slowly,  arriving  late  at  Falconhurst, 
but  meeting  with  the  usual  bright  welcome. 

Very  eager  and  inquisitive  were  the  glances  turned  toward 
the  sledge,  for  the  load  piled  on  it  surpassed  all  expectation  ; 
•we  on  our  part  staring  in  equal  surprise  at  the  extraordinary 
rig  of  the  young  folks  who  came  to  meet  us. 

One  wore  ^  long  night-shirt,  which,  with  a  belt,  was  a  con- 
venient length  in  front,  but  trailed  behind  in  orthodox  ghost 
fashion. 

Another  had  on  a  very  wide  pair  of  trousers,  braced  up 
so  short  that  each  little  leg  looked  like  the  clapper  in  a  bell. 

The  third,  buttoned  up  in  a  pea-jacket  which  came  down 
to  his  ankles,  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a  walking  portman^ 
teau. 

Amid  much  joking  and  laughter,  the  mother  explained  that 
she  had  been  washing  all  day,  and  while  their  clothes  were 
drying,  the  boys  amused  themselves  by  dressing  up  in  things 
they  found  while  rummaging  the  sailor's  chest,  and  had  kept 
them  on,  that  Ernest  and  I  might  see  the  masquerade.  It  cer- 
tainly amused  us,  but  made  me  regret  that  so  little  belonging 
to  ourselves  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck,  in  consequence 
of  which  the  children  had  scarcely  a  change  of  linen. 

Turning  now  to  our  new  acquisitions,  we  excited  great  in« 
terest  by  exhibiting  each  in  turn  ;  the  large  salmon,  but  more 
especially  the  kangaroo,  surprised  and  delighted  everyone. 

Fritz  alone  wore  a  look  expressive  of  dissatisfaction,  and 
I  saw  that  he  was  envious  of  his  younger  brother's  success. 
Vexed  that  so  noble  a  prize  had  fallen  to  Ernest's  gun,  instead 
of  his  own,  he  treated  it  rather  slightingly  ;  but  I  could  see 
that  he  was  struggling  against  his  jealous  feelings,  and  he, 
after  a  while,  succeeded  in  recovering  his  good  humor,  and 
joined  pleasantly  in  the  conversation. 

"  What  a  famous  day's  sport  you  have  had  altogether  ! " 
•aid  he,  coming  close  up  to  me.  "  It  will  be  my  turn  to  go 
out  with  you  next,  will  it  not,  father  ?  Just  about  here  there 
is  nothing  to  shoot,  and  I  have  found  it  very  dull." 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOir.  W 

w  Still  yon  have  been  doing  your  duty,  my  dear  boy  ;  you 
were  entrusted  with  the  care  of  the  family,  and  a  youth  of 
manly  character  will  not  depend  for  happiness  on  mere  ex- 
citement." 

As  the  shades  of  night  approached,  we  made  haste  to  con- 
elude  the  day's  work,  by  preparing  the  kangaroo,  part  for 
immediate  use,  and  part  for  salting.  The  animals  were  fed, 
and  a  plentiful  allowance  of  salt  made  to  them.  Our  own 
supper  of  broiled  salmon  and  potatoes  was  dispatched  with 
great  appetite,  and  we  retired,  with  thankful  hearts,  to  sound 
and  well-earned  repose. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Jack  and  Ernest  disappear — Fritz  and  I  start  for  the  wreck—The  boys 
ambuscade — We  form  a  raft — Ransack  the  vessel — Again  embark — 
A  turtle  in  sight — Fritz  harpoons  it — The  turtle  acts  as  "  Steam 
Tug  " — Safe  ashore — Return  horned-Jack's  clay  field— A  fresh  dis- 
covery— The  mother's  cellar — A  trip  to  the  wreck — The  pinnace — 
Jack's  raid  on  the  Lilliputians — A  secret  revealed — A  new  method 
of  grinding  flour — Wholesome  or  poisonous  ? — Bread-making  in 
earnest. 

NEXT  morning,  while  the  breakfast  was  getting  ready,  I  at- 
tended to  the  beautiful  skin  of  the  kangaroo,  which  I  was 
anxious  to  preserve  entire  ;  and  afterward,  when  Fritz  had 
prepared  everything  in  readiness  for  our  trip  to  the  wreck,  I 
called  Erneyt  and  Jack  in  order  to  give  them  some  parting  in- 
junctions. They,  however,  had  disappeared  directly  after 
breakfast,  and  their  mother  could  only  guess,  that,  as  we  re- 
quired potatoes,  they  might  have  gone  to  fetch  a  supply.  I 
desired  her  to  reprove  them,  on  their  return,  for  starting  away 
without  leave  ;  but,  as  it  appeared  they  had  taken  Turk,  I 
satisfied  myself  that  no  harm  was  likely  to  befall  them,  al« 
though  it  was  not  without  reluctance  that  I  left  my  dear  wife 
alone  with  little  Franz,  cheering  her  with  hopes  of  our  speedy 
return  with  new  treasures  from  the  wreck. 

Advancing  steadily  on  our  way,  we  crossed  the  bridge  at 
Jackal  River,  when  suddenly,  to  our  no  small  astonishment, 
Jack  and  Ernest  burst  out  of  a  hiding  place  where  they  had 
lain  in  wait  for  us,  and  were  enchanted  with  the  startling 
•ffect  of  their  unexpected  appearance  upon  their  unsuspecting 
father  and  brother.  It  was  evident  that  they  fully  believed 
they  might  now  go  with  us  to  the  wreck. 

To  this  notion  I  at  once  put  a  decided  stop,  although  I 


T4  THB   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

eonJd  not  find  in  my  heart  to  scold  the  two  merry  rogues  faf 
their  thoughtless  frolic,  more  especially  as  I  particularly 
wished  to  send  back  a  message  to  my  wife.  I  told  them  they 
must  hurry  home,  so  as  not  to  leave  their  mother  in  suspense, 
although,  as  they  were  already  so  far,  they  might  collect  some 
salt.  And  I  instructed  them  to  explain  that,  as  my  work  on 
board  would  take  up  a  long  time,  she  must  try  to  bear  with 
our  absence  for  a  night.  This  I  had  meant  to  say  when  we 
parted,  but  my  courage  [had  failed,  knowing  how  much  she 
would  object  to  such  a  plan,  and  I  had  resolved  to  return  in 
the  evening. 

On  consideration,  however,  of  the  importance  of  construct- 
ing  a  raft,  which  was  my  intention  in  going,  and  finishing  it 
without  a  second  trip,  I  determined  to  remain  on  board  for 
the  night,  as  the  boys  had,  unintentionally,  given  me  the 
chance  of  sending  a  message  to  that  effect. 

"  Good-by,  boys,  take  care  of  yourselves !  we're  off," 
shouted  Fritz,  as  I  joined  him  in  the  tub-boat,  and  we  shoved 
off. 

The  current  carried  us  briskly  out  of  the  bay  ;  we  were  very 
soon  moored  safely  alongside  the  wreck,  and  scrambling  up  her 
shattered  sides,  stood  on  what  remained  of  the  deck,  and  be- 
gan at  once  to  lay  our  plans. 

I  wanted  to  make  a  raft  fit  to  carry  on  shore  a  great  variety 
of  articles  far  too  large  and  heavy  for  our  present  boat.  A 
number  of  empty  water  casks  seemed  just  what  was  required 
for  a  foundation  ;  we  closed  them  tightly,  pushed  them  over- 
board,  and  arranging  twelve  of  them  side  by  side  in  rows  of 
three,  we  firmly  secured  them  together  by  means  of  spars, 
and  then  proceeded  to  lay  a  good  substantial  floor  of  planks, 
which  was  defended  by  a  low  bulwark.  In  this  way  we  soon 
had  a  first-rate  raft,  exactly  suited  to  our  purpose. 

It  would  have  been  impossible  to  return  to  land  that  same 
evening,  for  we  were  thoroughly  fatigued  by  our  labors, 
and  bad  eaten  only  the  light  refreshment  we  had  brought  in 
our  wallets,  scarcely  desisting  a  moment  from  our  work. 

Rejoicing  that  we  were  not  expected  home,  we  now  mada 
an  excellent  supper  from  the  ship's  provisions,  and  then  rested 
for  the  night  on  spring  mattresses,  a  perfect  luxury  to  us,  after 
our  hard  and  narrow  hammocks. 

Next  morning  we  actively  set  about  loading  the  raft  and 
boat :  first  carrying  off  the  entire  contents  of  our  own  cabins  ; 
and  passing  on  to  the  captain's  room,  we  removed  the  furni- 
ture, as  well  as  the  doors  and  window-frames,  with  their  bolts, 


THE   SWISS   1'AMILY   BOBINSOM.  75 

bars,  and  locks.  We  next  took  the  officers'  chests,  and  those 
belonging  to  the  carpenter  and  gunsmith  ;  the  contents  of 
these  latter  we  had  to  remove  in  portions,  as  their  weight  was 
far  beyond  our  strength. 

One  large  chest  was  filled  with  an  assortment  of  fancy 
goods,  and  reminded  us  of  a  jeweler's  shop,  so  glittering  was 
the  display  of  gold  and  silver  watches,  snuff-boxes,  buckles, 
studs,  chains,  rings,  and  all  manner  of  trinkets  ;  these,  and  a 
box  of  money,  drew  our  attention  for  a  time  ;  but  more  use« 
f ul  to  us  at  present  was  a  case  of  common  knives  and  forks, 
which  I  was  glad  to  find,  as  more  suited  to  us  than  the  smart 
silver  ones  we  had  previously  taken  on  shore.  To  my  delight 
we  found,  most  carefully  packed,  a  number  of  young  fruit 
trees :  and  we  read  on  the  tickets  attached  to  them  the 
names,  so  pleasant  to  European  ears,  of  the  apple,  pear,  chest- 
nut, orange,  almond,  peach,  apricot,  plum,  cherry,  and  vine. 

The  cargo,  which  had  been  destined  for  the  supply  of  a 
distant  colony,  proved,  in  fact,  a  rich  and  almost  inexhausti- 
ble treasure  to  us.  Ironmongery,  plumber's  tools,  lead,  paint, 
grindstones,  cart  wheels,  and  all  that  was  necessary  for  the 
work  of  a  smith's  fc  ge,  spades  and  plowshares,  sacks  ot" 
maize,  peas,  oats,  and  wheat,  a  hand-mill,  and  also  the  parts 
of  a  saw-mill  so  carefully  numbered  that,  were  we  strong 
enough,  it  would  be  easy  to  put  it  up,  had  been  stowed  away. 

So  bewildered  were  we  by  the  wealth  around  us  that  for 
some  time  we  were  at  a  loss  as  to  what  to  remove  to  the  raft. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  take  everything  ;  yet  the  first 
storm  would  complete  the  destruction  of  the  ship,  and  we 
should  lose  all  we  left  behind.  Selecting  a  number  of  the 
most  useful  articles,  however,  including  of  course  the  grain 
and  the  fruit  trees,  we  gradually  loaded  our  raft.  Fishing 
lines,  reels,  cordage,  and  a  couple  of  harpoons  were  put  on 
board,  as  well  as  a  mariner's  compass. 

Fritz,  recollecting  our  encounter  with  the  shark,  placed  the 
harpoons  in  readiness  ;  and  amused  me  by  seeming  to  picture 
himself  a  whaler,  flourishing  his  harpoon  in  most  approved 
fashion. 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  both  our  crafts  were  heavDy  laden, 
and  we  were  ready  to  make  for  the  shore.  The  voyage  was 
begun  with  considerable  anxiety,  as,  with  the  raft  in  tow, 
there  was  some  danger  of  an  accident. 

But  the  sea  being  calm  and  the  wind  favorable,  we  found 
we  could  spread  the  sail,  and  our  progress  was  very  satis- 
factory. 


f8  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

Presently,  Fritz  asked  me  for  the  telescope,  as  he  had 
observed  something  curious  floating  at  a  distance.  Then 
handing  it  back,  he  begged  me  to  examine  the  object ;  which 
I  soon  discovered  to  be  a  turtle  asleep  on  the  water,  and  of 
course  unconscious  of  our  approach. 

"  Do,  father,  steer  toward  it ! "  exclaimed  he. 

I  accordingly  did  so,  that  he  might  have  a  nearer  look  at 
the  creature.  Little  did  I  suspect  what  was  to  follow.  The 
lad's  back  was  turned  to  me,  and  the  broad  sail  was  between 
us,  so  that  I  could  not  perceive  his  actions  ;  when,  all  of  a 
sudden,  I  experienced  a  shock,  and  the  thrill  as  of  line  running 
through  a  reel.  Before  I  had  time  to  call  out,  a  second  shock, 
and  the  sensation  of  the  boat  being  rapidly  drawn  through 
the  water,  alarmed  me. 

"  Fritz,  what  are  you  about  ?  "  cried  I,  "  you  are  sending  us 
to  the  bottom." 

"  I  have  him,  hurrah  !  I  have  him  safe  1 "  shouted  he,  in 
eager  excitement. 

To  my  amazement,  I  perceived  that  he  really  had  struck 
the  tortoise  with  a  harpoon  ;  a  rope  was  attached  to  it,  and 
the  creature  was  running  away  with  us. 

Lowering  the  sail  and  seizing  my  hatchet,  I  hastened  for- 
ward, in  order  to  cut  the  line,  and  cast  adrift  at  once  turtle 
and  harpoon. 

"  Father  !  do  wait !  "  pleaded  the  boy,  "  there  is  no  danger 
just  yet  ?  I  promise  to  cut  the  line  myself  the  instant  it  is 
necessary  !  Let  us  catch  this  turtle  if  we  possibly  can." 

"  My  dear  boy,  the  turtle  will  be  a  very  dear  bargain,  if  he 
npsets  all  our  goods  into  the  sea,  even  if  he  does  not  drown 
us  too.  For  Heaven's  sake,  be  careful !  I  will  wait  a  few  mil*' 
utes,  but  the  minute  there  is  danger,  cut  the  line." 

As  the  turtle  began  to  make  for  the  open  sea,  I  hoisted  the 
sail  again  ;  and,  finding  the  opposition  too  much  for  it,  the 
creature  again  directed  its  course  landward,  drawing  us  rap- 
idly after  it.  The  part  of  the  shore  for  which  the  turtle  wag 
making  was  considerably  to  the  left  of  our  usual  landing 
place.  The  beach  there  shelved  very  gradually,  and  at  some 
distance  from  land  we  grounded  with  a  sharp  shock,  bat  for- 
tunately without  a  capsize. 

The  turtle  was  evidently  greatly  exhausted,  and  no  wonder, 
since  it  had  been  acting  the  part  of  a  steam  tug,  and  had  been 
dragging,  at  full  speed,  a  couple  of  heavily  laden  vessels.  Its 
intention  was  to  escape  to  land  ;  but  I  leaped  into  the  watei, 
find  wading  up  to  it,  dispatched  it  with  my  ax.  Such  was 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  77 

its  tenacity  of  life,  however,  that  it  did  not  cease  its  strug- 
gles, until  I  had  actually  severed  its  head  from  its  body. 

As  we  wera  by  no  means  far  from  Falconhurst,  Fritz  gave 
notice  of  our  approach  by  firing  off  his  gun,  as  well  as  shout- 
ing loudly  in  his  glee  ;  and,  while  we  were  yet  engaged  in  se- 
curing our  boats  and  getting  the  turtle  on  shore,  the  whole 
family  appeared  in  the  distance,  hastening  eagerly  toward  us  ; 
and  our  new  prize,  together  with  the  well-laden  boat  and  raft, 
excited  the  liveliest  interest;  my  wife's  chief  pleasure,  however, 
consisted  in  seeing  us  back,  as  our  night's  absence  had  dis- 
turbed her,  and  she  was  horrified  by  the  description  of  our 
dangerous  run  in  the  wake  of  the  fugitive  turtle. 

Being  anxious  to  remove  some  of  our  goods  before  night, 
the  boys  ran  off  to  fetch  the  sledge  ;  while  I,  having  no 
anchor,  contrived  to  moor  the  boats  by  means  of  some  of  the 
heavy  blocks  of  iron  we  had  brought. 

It  required  our  united  strength  to  get  the  turtle  hoisted  on 
to  the  sledge,  its  weight  being  prodigious  ;  we  found  it,  in- 
deed, with  the  addition  of  the  sapling  fruit  trees,  quite  a  suf- 
ficient load. 

We  then  made  the  best  of  our  way  home,  chatting  merrily 
about  our  various  adventures.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  on 
arriving  was  to  obtain  some  of  the  turtle's  flesh  and  cook  it  for 
supper.  To  my  wife  this  appeared  necessarily  a  work  of  time, 
as  well  as  of  difficulty  ;  but  t  turned  the  beast  on  its  back,  and 
soon  detached  a  portion  of  the  meat  from  the  breast  with  a 
hatchet,  by  breaking  the  lower  shell  :  and  I  then  directed  that 
it  should  be  cooked,  with  a  little  salt,  shell  and  all. 

"  But  let  me  first  cut  away  this  disgusting  green  fat,"  said 
my  wife,  with  a  little  shudder.  "  See  how  it  sticks  all  over  the 
meat.  No  one  could  eat  anything  so  nasty." 

"  Leave  the  fat,  whatever  you  do  ! "  exclaimed  I.  "  Why, 
my  dear,  that  is  the  very  best  part,  and  the  delight  of  the  epi- 
cure. If  there  be  really  too  much,  cut  some  off — it  can  be 
used  as  lard,  and  let  the  dogs  make  a  supper  of  the  refuse." 

"  And  the  handsome  shell !  "  cried  Fritz  ;  "  I  should  like  to 
make  a  water-trough  of  that,  to  stand  near  the  brook,  and  be 
kept  always  full  of  clear  water.  How  useful  it  would  be  !  " 

"  That  is  a  capital  idea,"  I  replied,  "  and  we  may  manage  it 
easily,  if  we  can  find  clay  so  as  to  make  a  firm  foundation  on 
which  to  place  it." 

"  Oh,  as  to  clay,"  said  Jack,  "  I  have  a  grand  lump  of  clay 
there  under  that  root." 

"  Well  done,  my  lau  '  when  did  you  find  it  ?  " 


T8  THB   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBTNSOW. 

"  He  found  a  bed  of  clay  near  the  river  this  morning,"  eaicl 
his  mother,  "  and  came  home  in  such  a  mess,  I  had  regularly 
to  scrape  his  clothes  and  wash  him  thoroughly  !  " 

"  Well,  mother,  I  can  only  tell  you  I  should  never  in  all  my 
days  have  found  the  clay,  if  I  had  not  slipped  and  fallen 
among  it." 

"  That  I  can  well  believe,*'  returned  his  mother  ;  "  only,  to 
hear  your  talk  this  morning,  one  would  have  thought  youi 
discovery  of  clay  the  result  of  very  arduous  search  indeed.'* 

"  When  you  have  ended  the  question  of  the  clay  and  thf 
turtle  shell,"  said  Ernest,  "I  should  like  to  show  you  some 
roots  I  found  to-day ;  they  are  getting  rather  dry  now.  They 
look  something  like  radishes,  although  the  plant  itself  was  al- 
most a  bush  ;  but  I  have  not  ventured  to  taste  them,  although 
our  old  sow  was  devouring  them  at  a  great  rate." 

"  In  that  you  did  wisely,  my  boy.  Swine  eat  many  things 
injurious  to  men.  Let  me  see  your  roots.  How  did  you  dis- 
cover them  ?  " 

"  I  was  rambling  in  the  wood  this  morning,  and  came  upon 
the  sow,  very  busy  grubbing  under  a  small  bush,  and  eating 
something  ravenously  ;  so  I  drove  her  away,  and  found  a  num- 
ber of  these  roots,  which  I  brought  for  you  to  see." 

"  Indeed,  Ernest,"  I  exclaimed,  after  taking  the  roots  in  my 
hand  and  considering  them  attentively,  "  I  am  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  you  have  really  made  a  brilliant  discovery  !  If  this 
proves  to  be,  as  I  expect,  the  manioc  root,  we  might  lose 
every  other  eatable  we  possess,  and  yet  not  starve.  In  the 
West  Indies,  cakes  called  cassava  bread  are  made  from  it ; 
and,  already  having  potatoes,  we  shall  be  very  independent  if 
we  can  succeed  in  preparing  flour  from  these  roots.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  in  the  manufacture  to  express  the  juice, 
otherwise  the  flour  may  be  injurious  and  even  poisonous. 

"If  we  can  collect  a  sufficient  quantity,  we  will  attempt 
bread-making.  I  think  I  know  how  to  set  about  it." 

Finding  there  was  still  time  to  make  another  trip  with  the 
sledge,  I  went  off  with  the  elder  boys,  leaving  Franz  with  his 
mother ;  and  we  all  looked  forward  with  satisfaction  to  the 
prospect  of  the  princely  supper  they  were  to  have  ready  for  us, 
for  our  day's  work  had  been  none  of  the  lightest. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  about  my  turtle,  father,"  said  Fritz, 
as  we  went  along  ;  "  is  not  the  shell  very  valuable  ?  Surely 
beautiful  combs,  boxes,  and  a  number  of  ornamental  things 
are  made  of  tortoise  shell,  and  if  so,  it  seems  a  pity  to  use  rt 
for  a  water  trough." 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON:  19 

"Tour  turtle,  Fritz,  is  only  fit  for  eating,  its  shell  is  worth- 
less as  regards  ornament ;  whereas  the  species  whose  shell  is 
prized  so  much  is  unfit  for  food.  Tortoise  shell  is  subjected 
to  the  action  of  the  heat,  the  outer  layer  peels  off,  leaving  a 
beautifully  marked,  semi-transparent  sC  "face,  which  is  suscepti- 
ble of  a  very  high  polish." 

The  sledge  quickly  received  its  second  load  from  the  raft 
Dhests,  four  cart-wheels,  and  the  hand-mill  were  placed  on  it, 
with  all  manner  of  smaller  articles,  and  we  lost  no  time  in  re* 
burning  to  Falconhurst. 

The  mother  welcomed  us  joyfully,  for  she  said  we  had  been 
regularly  overworked  during  the  last  two  days.  "  However, 
now  you  are  come  home  to  rest,"  said  she,  "  and  you  little 
think  what  refreshment  awaits  you  here  in  the  shade.  Come 
and  see  my  cellar  ! "  and  she  smilingly  exhibited  a  small  cask, 
half  sunk  in  the  ground,  and  well  sheltered  with  leaves  and 
branches. 

"  Ah  !  you  wonder  where  this  came  from,"  continued  the 
mother  ;  "-well,  I  found  it  myself  on  the  sands,  to-day,  while 
you  were  all  absent ;  and  fancying  it  was  wine  of  some  sort,  1 
got  it  up  here  on  purpose  to  be  ready  for  you.  The  boys  aw 
most  anxious  to  know  what  sort  of  wine  it  will  prove  to  be/ 

As  the  simplest  method  of  ascertaining  this,  I  inserted  f 
straw  at  the  vent-hole,  and  presently  announced,  that  in  all 
my  life  I  had  never  enjoyed  a  more  delicious  draught  of  Canary 
sack.  The  mother  was  immensely  pleased  to  find  that  her  ex- 
ertions in  my  behalf  had  not  been  thrown  away,  and  the  boys 
pressed  around  me,  armed  with  straws,  and  begging  for  a 
taste. 

After  so  strongly  expressing  my  own  enjoyment  of  the 
wine,  it  seemed  unreasonable  to  deny  them  this,  and  I  let  them 
come  in  turns,  but  was  speedily  obliged  to  call  a  halt ;  for  the 
yogues  got  so  eager  and  excited  that  I  had  to  reprove  them 
for  their  greediness,  and  warn  them  of  the  risk  they  ran  of 
being  intoxicated.  In  fact,  I  blamed  myself  for  allowing 
them  to  have  this  strong  wine  as  a  beverage  2^  all.  They 
were  wholly  unaccustomed  to  it,  and  were,  besides,  fatigued 
and  very  hungry.  Supper  was  more  to  the  purpose  ;  and,  as 
the  turtle  proved  delicious,  it  was  heartily  enjoyed,  and  gave 
us  strength  to  haul  the  mattresses  we  had  brought  from  the 
ship  up  into  our  sleeping  rooms,  so  that  very  refreshing  slum- 
bers closed  the  day. 

Early  next  morning  I  got  up  without  rousing  any  of  the 
Others,  intending  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  beach ;  for  I  had  my 


80  THE  SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

doubts  about  the  safety  of  my  vessels  on  the  open  shore.  The 
dogs  were  delighted  when  I  descended  the  ladder,  and  bounded 
to  meet  me ;  the  cocks  crowed  and  flapped  their  wings ;  two 
pretty  kids  gamboled  around  ;  all  was  life  and  energy ;  the 
ass  alone  seemed  disinclined  to  begin  the  day,  and  as  I  espe- 
cially required  his  services,  this  was  unfortunate.  I  put  his 
morning  dreams  to  flight,  however,  and  harnessed  him  to  the 
sledge  ;  the  cow,  as  she  had  not  been  milked,  enjoyed  the  priv- 
ilege of  further  repose,  and,  with  the  rest  of  the  family,  I  left 
her  dozing. 

My  fears  as  to  the  safety  of  the  boats  were  soon  dispelled, 
for  they  were  all  right ;  and,  being  in  haste  to  return,  the  load 
I  collected  from  their  freight  was  but  a  light  one,  and  the  don- 
key willingly  trotted  home  with  it,  he,  as  well  as  I,  being 
uncommonly  ready  for  breakfast.  Approaching  the  tree,  not 
a  sound  was  to  be  heard,  not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen,  although 
it  was  broad  day ;  and  great  was  my  good  wife's  surprise, 
when,  roused  by  the  clatter  and  hullabaloo  I  made,  she  started 
up,  and  became  aware  of  the  late  hour ! 

"  What  can  have  made  us  oversleep  ourselves  like  this  ? " 
ehe  exclaimed.  "  It  must  be  the  fault  of  those  mattresses  ; 
they  are  delightful,  but  really  too  lulling  ;  see,  the  children  are 
sound  asleep  still." 

With  much  stretching  and  many  yawns,  the  boys  at  last 
came  tumbling  down  from  the  tree,  rubbing  their  eyes  and 
seeming  but  half  awake  ;  Ernest  last,  as  usual. 

"Come,  my  boys,"  said  I,  "this  will  never  do !  Your  beds 
were  too  luxurious  last /light,  I  see."  In  my  own  opinion,  how- 
ever, I  felt  there  was  something  else  to  blame  besides  the 
comfortable  mattresses,  and  I  made  a  mental  resolve  that  the 
captain's  fine  Canary  should  be  dealt  with  very  sparingly  in 
future.  "So  now  for  prayers  and  breakfast,"  I  continued, 
u  and  then  off  to  work.  I  must  have  our  cargo  landed  in  tim» 
to  get  the  boats  off  with  the  next  tide." 

•  By  dint  of  downright  hard  work,  we  accomplished  tkis, 
And  I  got  on  board  with  Fritz  as  soon  as  they  were  afloat  ; 
.the  rest  turned  homeward,  but  Jack  lingered  behind  with 
such  imploring  looks,  that  I  could  not  resist  taking  him 
with  me. 

My  intention  had  been  simply  to  take  the  vessels  round  to 
the  harbor  in  Safety  Bay,  but  the  calm  sea  and  fine  weather 
t«mpted  me  to  make  another  trip  to  the  wreck.  It  took  up 
more  time  than  I  expected,  so  that,  when  on  board,  we  could 
only  make  a  further  examination  of  the  cargo,  collect  a  few 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  BOBINSOIC.  81 

ponaDie  articles,  and  then  avail  ourselves  of  the  sea-breeze, 
which  would  fail  us  later  in  the  evening. 

To  Jack  the  pleasure  of  hunting  about  in  the  hold  was  novel 
and  charming,  and  very  soon  a  tremendous  rattling  and  clatter- 
ing heralded  his  approach  with  a  wheel-barrow,  in  the  highest 
spirits  at  his  good  fortune  in  having  found  such  a  capital  thing 
in  which  to  bring  home  potatoes. 

He  was  followed  by  Fritz,  whose  news  was  still  more  im- 
portant. He  had  found,  carefully  packed  and  enclosed  within 
partitions,  what  appeared  to  be  the  separate  parts  of  a  pinnace, 
with  rigging  and  fittings  complete,  even  to  a  couple  of  smali 
brass  guns.  This  was  a  great  discovery,  and  I  hastened  to  see 
if  the  lad  was  right.  Indeed  he  was,  but  my  pleasure  was 
qualified  by  a  sense  of  the  arduous  task  it  would  be  to  put  such 
a  craft  together  so  as  to  be  fit  for  sea.  For  the  present  we  had 
barely  time  to  get  something  to  eat  and  hurry  into  the  boat, 
where  were  collected  our  new  acquisitions,  namely,  a  copper 
boiler,  iron  plates,  tobacco-graters,  two  grindstones,  a  small 
barrel  of  powder,  and  another  of  flints,  two  wheel-barrows, 
besides  Jack's,  which  he  kept  under  his  own  especial  care. 

As  we  drew  near  the  shore,  we  were  surprised  to  see  a  number 
of  little  figures  ranged  in  a  row  along  the  water's  edge,  and 
apparently  gazing  fixedly  at  us.  They  seemed  to  wear  dark 
coats  and  white  waistcoats,  and  stood  quite  still  with  their  arms 
dropping  by  their  sides,  only  every  now  and  then  one  would 
extend  them  gently,  as  though  longing  to  embrace  us. 

"  Ah  !  here  at  last  come  the  pigmy  inhabitants  of  the  country 
to  welcome  us  ! "  cried  I,  laughing. 

"  Oh,  father  I "  exclaimed  Jack, "  I  hope  they  are  Lilliputians ! 
I  once  read  in  a  book  about  them,  so  there  must  be  such  people, 
you  know,  only  these  look  rather  too  large." 

"  You  must  be  content  to  give  up  the  Lilliputians  and  accept 
penguins,  my  dear  Jack,"  said  I.  "  We  have  not  before  seen 
them  in  such  numbers,  but  Ernest  knocked  one  down,  if  you 
remember,  soon  after  we  landed.  They  are  excellent  swimmers, 
but  helpless  on  land,  as  they  can  neither  fly  nor  run." 

We  were  gradually  approaching  the  land  as  I  spoke,  and  no 
sooner  was  the  water  shallow,  than  out  sprang  Jack  from  hit 
tub,  and  wading  ashore,  took  the  unsuspecting  birds  by  sur- 
prise, and  with  his  stick  laid  half  a  dozen,  right  and  left,  either 
stunned  or  dead  at  his  feet.  The  rest  escaped  into  the  water, 
dived,  and  disappeared. 

As  these  penguins  are  disagreeable  food,  on  account  of  their 
Strong,  oily  taste,  I  wa0  sorrv  Jack  had  attacked  them  j  but 


8J  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  EOBINSOIT. 

going  to  examine  them  when  we  landed,  some  of  the  fallen 
arose  from  their  swoon,  and  began  solemnly  to  waddle  away, 
upon  which  we  caught  them,  and  tying  their  feet  together 
with  long  grass,  laid  them  on  the  sand  to  wait  until  we  were 
ready  to  start. 

The  three  wheel-barrows  then  each  received  a  load,  the  live 
penguins,  seated  gravely,  were  trundled  along  by  Jack,  and 
-away  we  went  at  a  great  rate. 

The  unusual  noise  of  our  approach  set  the  dogs  barking 
furiously,  but  discovering  us,  they  rushed  forward  with  such 
forcible  demonstrations  of  delight,  that  poor  little  Jack,  who, 
as  it  was,  could  scarcely  manage  his  barrow,  was  fairly  upset, 
penguins  and  all.  This  was  too  much  for  his  patience,  and  it 
was  absurd  to  see  how  he  started  up  and  cuffed  them  soundly 
for  their  boisterous  behavior. 

This  scene,  and  the  examination  of  our  burdens,  caused  great 
merriment :  the  tobacco-grater  and  iron  plates  evidently  puz- 
zling everybody. 

I  sent  the  boys  to  catch  some  of  our  geese  and  ducks,  and 
bid  them  fasten  a  penguin  to  each  by  the  leg,  thinking  that  it 
was  worth  while  to  tiy  to  tame  them. 

My  wife  had  exerted  herself  in  our  absence  to  provide  a  good 
store  of  potatoes,  and  also  of  manioc  root.  I  admired  her  in- 
dustry, and  little  Franz  said,  "  Ah,  father !  I  wonder  what 
you  will  say  when  mother  and  I  give  you  some  Indian  com, 
and  melons,  and  pumpkins,  and  cucumbers  ! " 

"  Now,  you  little  chatterbox  !  "  cried  she,  "  you  have  let  out 
my  secret !  I  was  to  have  the  pleasure  of  surprising  your 
father  when  my  plants  were  growing  up." 

"  Ah,  the  poor  disappointed  little  mother  ! "  said  I.  "  Never 
mind  !  I  am  charmed  to  hear  about  it.  Only  do  tell  me, 
where  did  those  seeds  come  from  ?  " 

"  Out  of  my  magic  bag,  of  course  ! "  replied  she.  "  And 
each  time  I  have  gone  for  potatoes,  I  have  sown  seeds  in  the 
ground  which  was  dug  up  to  get  them  ;  and  I  have  planted 
potatoes  also." 

"  Well  done,  you  wise  little  woman  !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Why, 
you  are  a  model  of  prudence  and  industry  !  " 

"  But,"  continued  she,  "  I  do  not  half  like  the  appearance 
of  those  tobacco-graters  you  have  brought.  Is  it  possible  you 
are  going  to  make  snuff  ?  Do,  pray,  let  us  make  sure  of  abun- 
dance of  food  for  our  mouths,  before  we  think  of  our  noses  !  " 

"  Make  your  mind  easy,  my  wife,"  said  I.  "  I  have  not  the 
remotest  intention  of  introducing  the  dirty,  ridiculous  habit 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  83 

of  snuffing  into  your  family  !  Please  to  treat  my  graters  with 
respect,  however,  because  they  are  to  be  the  means  of  provid- 
ing you  with  the  first  fresh  bread  you  have  seen  this  many  a 
long  day." 

"  What  possible  connection  can  there  be  betweeD  bread  and 
tobacco-graters  ?  I  cannot  imagine  what  you  mean,  and  to 
fcalk  of  bread  where  thez*e  are  no  ovens  is  only  tantalizing." 

"  Ah,  you  must  not  expect  real  loaves,"  said  I.  "  But  on 
these  flat  iron  plates  I  can  bake  flat  cakes  or  scones,  which  will 
be  excellent  bread  ;  I  mean  to  try  at  once  what  I  can  do  with 
Ernest's  roots.  And  first  of  all,  I  want  you  to  make  me  a 
pice  strong  canvas  bag." 

This  the  mother  willingly  undertook  to  do,  but  she  evidently 
had  not  much  faith  in  my  powers  as  a  baker,  and  I  saw  her 
set  on  a  good  potful  of  potatoes  before  beginning  to  work,  as 
though  to  make  sure  of  a  meal  without  depending  on  my  bread. 

Spreading  a  piece  of  sailcloth  on  the  ground,  I  summoned  my 
boys  to  set  to  work.  Each  took  a  grater  and  a  supply  of  well- 
washed  manioc  root,  and  when  all  were  seated  round  the  cloth 
— "  Once,  twice,  thrice  1  Off !  "  cried  I,  beginning  to  rub  a 
root  as  hard  as  I  could  against  the  rough  surface  of  my  grater. 
My  example  was  instantly  followed  by  the  whole  party,  amid 
bursts  of  merriment,  as  each  remarked  the  funny  attitude  and 
odd  gestures  of  his  neighbors  while  vehemently  rubbing,  rasp- 
ing, grating,  and  grinding  down  the  roots  allotted  to  him.  No 
one  was  tempted  by  the  look  of  the  flour  to  stop  and  taste  it, 
for  in  truth  it  looked  much  like  wet  sawdust. 

"  Cassava  bread  is  highly  esteemed  in  many  parts  of  the 
New  World,  and  I  have  even  heard  that  some  Europeans  there 
prefer  it  to  the  wheaten  bread  of  their  own  country.  There 
are  various  species  of  manioc.  One  sort  grows  quickly,  and 
its  roots  ripen  in  a  very  short  time.  Another  kind  is  of  some- 
what slower  growth.  The  roots  of  the  third  kind  do  not  come 
to  maturity  for  two  years.  The  two  first  are  poisonous,  if  eaten 
.raw,  yet  they  are  preferred  to  the  third,  which  is  harmless,  be- 
cause they  are  so  much  more  fruitful,  and  the  flour  produced 
is  excellent,  if  the  scrapings  are  carefully  pressed." 

"  What  is  the  good  of  pressing  them,  father  ?  "  inquired 
Ernest. 

"  It  is  in  order  to  express  the  sap,  which  contains  the  poison. 
The  dry  pith  is  wholesome  and  nourishing.  Still,  I  do  not 
mean  to  taste  my  cakes,  until  I  have  tried  their  effect  on  our 
fowls  and  the  ape." 

By  this  time  our  aupply  of  roots  being  reduced  to  damp 


84  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   EOBINSOW. 

powder,  the  canvas  bag  was  filled  with  it,  and  tying  it  tightly 
up,  I  attempted  to  squeeze  it,  but  soon  found  that  mechanical 
aid  was  necessary  in  order  to  express  the  moisture.  My  ar- 
rangements for  this  purpose  were  as  follows  :  A  strong, 
straight  beam  was  made  flat  on  one  side,  smooth  planks  were 
laid  across  two  of  the  lower  roots  of  our  tree  ;  on  these  we 
placed  the  sack,  above  the  sack  another  plank,  and  over  that 
the  long  beam  ;  one  end  was  passed  under  a  root  near  the 
sack,  the  other  projected  far  forward.  And  to  that  we  attached 
all  the  heaviest  weights  we  could  think  of,  such  as  an  anvil, 
iron  bars,  and  masses  of  lead.  The  consequent  pressure  on  the 
bag  was  enormous,  and  the  sap  flowed  from  it  to  the  ground. 

"  Will  this  stuff  keep  any  time  ?  "  inquired  my  wife,  who 
came  to  see  how  we  were  getting  on.  "  Or  must  all  this  great 
bagful  be  used  at  once  ?  In  that  case  we  shall  have  to  spend 
the  whole  of  to-morrow  in  baking  cakes.'* 

"  Not  at  all,"  I  replied  ;  "  once  dry,  the  flour  in  barrels  will 
keep  fresh  a  long  time.  We  shall  use  a  great  deal  of  this, 
however,  as  you  shall  see." 

"  Do  you  think  we  might  begin  now,  father  ?  "  said  Fritz. 
"  There  does  not  seem  the  least  moisture  remaining." 

"  Certainly,"  said  I.  "  But  I  shall  only  make  one  cake  to-day 
for  an  experiment  ;  we  must  see  how  it  agrees  with  Master 
Knips  and  the  hens  before  we  set  up  a  bakehouse  in  regular 
style." 

I  took  out  a  couple  of  handf uls  of  flour  for  this  purpose,  and 
•with  a  stick  loosened  and  stirred  the  remainder,  which  I  in- 
tended should  again  be  pressed.  While  an  iron  plate,  placed 
over  a  good  fire,  was  getting  hot,  I  mixed  the  meal  with  water 
and  a  little  salt,  kneaded  it  well,  and  forming  a  thickish  cake, 
laid  it  on  the  hot  plate,  when  one  side  presently  becoming  a 
nice  yellow-brown  color,  it  was  turned  and  was  quickly  baked. 

It  smelt  so  delicious  that  the  boys  quite  envied  the  two 
hens  and  the  monkey,  who  were  selected  as  the  subjects  of 
this  interesting  experiment,  and  they  silently  watched  them, 
gobbling  up  the  bits  of  cake  I  gave  them,  until  Fritz  turned 
to  me,  saying,  "  Suppose  the  cake  is  poisonous,  what  effect 
•will  it  have  on  the  creatures  ?  Will  they  be  stupefied,  or  will 
they  suffer  pain  ?  " 

"  That  depends  upon  the  nature  of  th<*  poison.  Some  cause 
violent  pain,  as  colchicum,  hellebore,  and  aconite.  Others  pro- 
duce stupefaction  and  paralysis,  as  opium,  hemlock,  and  prussic 
acid  ;  while  others  again,  as  strychnine,  are  followed  by  vio- 
lent convulsions,  or,  as  belladonna. Jby  Delirium.  The  effects 


THB   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBTOSOtf,  86 

of  course  vary  according  to  tne  quantity  taken,  and  such 
remedies  should  be  applied  as  will  best  counteract  the  effect  of 
each  poison  :  emetics  in  any  case,  to  remove  as  much  as  possi- 
ble of  the  noxious  substance,  combined  with  oils  and  mucilagi- 
nous drinks  to  soothe  and  protect  the  stomach  in  the  case  of 
irritants  ;  stimulants,  such  as  spirits,  ammonia,  or  strong 
coffee  to  rouse  from  the  stupor  of  the  narcotics  ;  and  sedative 
drugs,  which  are  perhaps  in  themselves  poisons,  to  counteract 
the  over  stimulation  of  the  nerves  caused  by  the  convulsant 
poisons.  But  now  let  us  think  no  more  of  poisons  ;  here  is 
supper  ready  and  we  need  not  be  afraid  to  eat  roast  penguin 
and  potatoes." 

No  sooner  said  than  done  ;  we  left  the  fowls  picking  up  tha 
least  crumb  they  could  find  of  the  questionable  food,  and  as- 
sembled to  enjoy  our  evening  meal.  The  potatoes  were,  as 
usual,  excellent,  the  penguin  really  not  so  bad  as  I  expected, 
although  fishy  in  taste  and  very  tough. 

Next  morning  everyone  expressed  the  tenderest  concern  as 
to  the  health  of  Knips  and  the  hens  ;  and  lively  pleasure  was 
in  every  countenance  when  Jack,  who  ran  first  to  make  the 
visit  of  inquiry,  brought  news  of  their  perfect  good  health 
and  spirits. 

No  time  was  now  to  be  lost,  and  the  bread-baking  com- 
menced in  earnest.  A  large  fire  was  kindled,  the  plates  heated, 
the  meal  made  into  cakes,  each  of  the  boys  busily  preparing 
his  own,  and  watching  the  baking  most  eagerly.  Mistakes  oc- 
curred, of  course  ;  some  of  the  bread  was  burnt,  some  not 
done  enough  ;  bat  a  pile  of  nice,  tempting  cakes  was  at  length 
ready,  and  with  plenty  of  good  milk  we  breakfasted  right 
royally,  and  in  high  spirits  at  our  success. 

Soon  after,  while  feeding  the  poultry  with  the  fragments 
of  the  repast,  I  observed  that  the  captive  penguins  were  quite 
at  ease  among  them  and  as  tame  as  the  geese  and  ducks  ;  their 
bonds  were  therefore  loosed,  and  they  were  left  as  free  as 
the  other  fowls. 


THE    SWISS    FAMILY    EOBIN8ONT. 


CHAPTER  VL 

Row  for  the  pinnace— Repeated  visits  to  the  wreck— The  pinnace  buflfc* 
How  shall  we  cut  her  out — The  difficulty  solved — We  fit  her  out- 
Fire  a  salute — The  mother's  surprise — We  visit  Falconhurst — Attend 
to  our  fruit  trees — Athletics — The  lasso — An  excursion — A  bustard 
captured — Ernest  discovers  a  magician — Jack  fights  him— The  Liane 
Rouge — We  turn  carvers — Ernest's  alarm — The  old  sow  again — We 
discover  a  sleeping  beauty — Return  with  it  to  the  camp — Knips  pro- 
nounces our  apples  "  good  " — Return  to  Falconhurst 

HAVING  now  discovered  how  to  provide  bread  for  my 
family,  my  thoughts  began  to  revert  to  the  wreck  and  all  the 
valuables  yet  (contained  within  it.  Above  all,  I  was  bent  on 
acquiring  possession  of  the  beautiful  pinnace,  and  aware  that 
our  united  efforts  would  be  required  to  do  the  necessary  work, 
I  began  to  coax  and  persuade  the  mother  to  let  me  go  in  force 
with  all  her  boys  except  Franz. 

She  very  unwillingly  gave  her  consent  at  last,  but  not  until 
I  had  faithfully  promised  never  to  pass  a  night  on  board.  I 
did  so  with  reluctance,  and  we  parted,  neither  feeling  quite 
satisfied  with  the  arrangement. 

The  boys  were  delighted  to  go  in  so  large  a  party,  and 
merrily  carried  provision  bags  filled  with  cassava  bread  and 
potatoes. 

Reaching  Safety  Bay  without  Jadventure  we  first  paid  t 
visit  to  the  geese  and  ducks  which  inhabited  the  marsh  therq, 
and  having  fed  them  and  seen  they  were  thriving  weH,  we 
buckled  on  each  his  cork  belt,  stepped  into  the  tub-boat,  and,, 
with  the  raft  in  tow,  steered  straight  for  the  wreck. 

When  we  got  on  board,  I  desired  the  boys  to  collect  what- 
ever came  first  to  hand,  and  load  the  raft  to  be  ready  for  our 
return  at  night,  and  then  we  made  a  minute  inspection  of  the 
pinnace. 

I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  difficulties/well-nigh  insupera- 
ble, lay  between  me  and  the  safe  possession  of  the  beautiful 
little  vessel.  She  lay  in  a  most  un-get-at-able  position  at  the 
further  end  of  the  hold,  stowed  in  so  confined  and  narrow  a 
space,  that  it  was  impossible  to  think  of  fitting  the  parts  to- 
gether there.  At  the  same  time  these  parts  were  so  heavy> 
that  removing  them  to  a  convenient  place  piece  by  piece  wa» 
equally  out  of  the  question. 

I  sent  the  boys  away  to  amuse  themselves  by  rummaging 
out  anything  they  liked  to  carry  away,  and  sat  down  quietly 
to  consider  the  matter. 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBDrSOK.  87 

As  my  eyes  became  used  to  the  dim  light  which  entered  the 
Compartment  through  a  chink  or  crevice  here  and  there,  I  oer- 
oeived  how  carefully  every  part  of  the  pinnace  was  arranged 
and  marked  with  numbers,  so  that  if  only  I  could  bestow  suf- 
ficient time  on  the  work,  and  contrive  space  in  which  to  exe- 
cute it,  I  might  reasonably  hope  for  success. 

"  Room  !  room  to  work  in,  boys  !  that's  what  we  need  in 
the  first  place  !  "  I  cried,  as  my  sons  came  to  see  what  plan  / 
had  devised,  for  so  great  was  their  reliance  on  me  that  they 
mever  doubted  the  pinnace  was  to  be  ours. 

"  Fetch  axes,  and  let  us  break  down  the  compartment  and 
tlcar  space  all  round." 

To  work  we  all  went,  yet  evening  drew  near,  and  but  little 
impression  was  made  on  the  mass  of  woodwork  around  us. 
We  had  to  acknowledge  that  an  immense  amount  of  labor  and 
perseverance  would  be  required  before  we  could  call  ourselves 
the  owners  of  the  useful  and  elegant  little  craft,  which  lay 
within  this  vast  hulk  like  a  fossil  shell  embedded  in  a  rock. 

Preparations  for  returning  to  shore  were  hastily  made,  and 
we  landed  without  much  relish  for  the  long  walk  to  Falcon- 
hurst,  when,  to  our  great  surprise  and  pleasure,  we  found  the 
mother  and  little  Franz  at  Tentholm  awaiting  us.  She  had 
resolved  to  take  up  her  quarters  there  during  the  time  we 
should  be  engaged  on  the  wreck.  "  In  that  way  you  will  live 
nearer  your  work,  and  I  shall  not  quite  lose  sight  of  you  ! " 
said  she,  with  a  pleasant  smile. 

"  You  are  a  good,  sensible,  kind  wife,"  I  exclaimed,  de- 
lighted with  her  plan,  "  and  we  shall  work  with  the  greater 
diligence,  that  you  may  return  as  soon  as  possible  to  your 
dear  Falconhurst." 

"  Come  and  see  what  we  have  brought  you,  mother !  "  cried 
Fritz  ;  "  a  good  addition  to  your  stores,  is  it  not  ?  "  and  he 
and  his  brothers  exhibited  two  small  casks  of  butter,  three  of 
flour,  corn,  rice,  and  many  other  articles  welcome  to  our  care- 
ful housewife. 

Our  days  were  now  spent  in  hard  work  on  board,  first  cut* 
ting  and  clearing  an  open  space  round  the  pinnace,  and  tl.cn 
putting  the  parts  together.  We  started  early  and  returned 
at  night,  bringing  each  time  a  valuable  freight  from  the  old 
vessel. 

At  length,  with  incredible  labor,  all  was  completed.  The 
pinnace  stood  actually  ready  to  be  launched,  but  imprisoned 
within  massive  wooden  walls  which  defied  our  strength. 

It  seemed  exactly  as  though  the  graceful  vessel  had  awakened 


88  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

from  sleep,  and  was  longing  to  spring  into  the  free  blue  sea, 
and  spread  her  wings  to  the  breeze.  I  could  not  bear  to  think 
that  our  success  so  far  should  be  followed  by  failure  and  dis- 
appointment. Yet  no  possible  means  of  setting  her  free  could 
I  conceive,  and  I  was  almost  in  despair,  when  an  idea  occurred 
to  me  which,  if  I  could  carry  it  out,  would  effect  her  release 
without  further  labor  or  delay. 

Without  explaining  my  purpose,  I  got  a  large  cast-iron 
mortar,  filled  it  with  gunpowder,  secured  a  block  of  oak  to  the 
top,  through  which  I  pierced  a  hole  for  the  insertion  of  the 
match,  and  this  great  petard  I  so  placed,  that  when  it  exploded 
it  should  blow  out  the  side  of  the  vessel  next  which  the  pin- 
nance  lay.  Then  securing  it  with  chains,  that  the  recoil  might 
do  no  damage,  I  told  the  boys  I  was  going  ashore  earlier  than 
usual,  and  calmly  desired  them  to  get  into  the  boat.  Then 
lighting  a  match  I  had  prepared,  and  which  would  burn  some 
time  before  reaching  the  powder,  I  hastened  after  them  with 
a  beating  heart,  and  we  made  for  the  land. 

We  brought  the  raft  close  in  shore  and  began  to  unload  it ; 
the  other  boat  I  did  not  haul  up,  but  kept  her  ready  to  put  off 
at  a  moment's  notice  ;  my  anxiety  was  unobserved  by  anyone, 
as  I  listened  with  strained  nerves  for  the  expected  sound. 
It  came  ! — a  flash  !  a  mighty  roar — a  grand  burst  of  smoke ! 

My  wife  and  children,  terror-stricken,  turned  their  eyes  to- 
ward the  sea,  whence  the  startling  noise  came,  and  then,  in 
fear  and  wonder,  looked  to  me  for  some  explanation.  "  Per- 
haps," said  the  mother,  as  I  did  not  speak,  "  perhaps  you  have 
left  a  light  burning  near  some  of  the  gunpowder,  and  an  ex- 
plosion has  taken  place." 

"  Not  at  all  unlikely,"  replied  I  quietly  ;  "  we  had  afire  be- 
low when  we  were  caulking  the  seams  of  the  pinnace.  I  shall 
go  off  at  once  and  see  what  has  happened.  Will  anyone 
come?" 

The  boys  needed  no  second  invitation,  but  sprang  into  the 
boat,  while  I  lingered  to  re-assure  my  wife  by  whispering  a 
few  words  of  explanation,  and  then  joining  them,  we  pulled 
for  the  wreck  at  a  more  rapid  rate  than  we  ever  had  done  be- 
fore. 

No  alteration  had  taken  place  in  the  side  at  which  we  usually 
boarded  her,  and  we  pulled  round  to  the  further  side,  where  a 
marvelous  sight  awaited  us.  A  huge  rent]  appeared,  the  decks 
and  bulwarks  were  torn  open,  the  water  was  covered  with 
floating  wreckage — all  seemed  in  ruins  ;  and  the  compartment 
where  the  pinnace  rested  was  fully  revealed  to  view.  There 


TME   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSON.  8f 

Mt  the  little  beauty,  to  all  appearance  uninjured  ;  and  the 
boys,  whose  attention  was  taken  up  with  the  melancholy  scene 
of  ruin  and  confusion  around  them,  were  astonished  to  hear 
me  shout  in  enthusiastic  delight :  "  Hurrah  !  she  is  ours  ! 
The  lovely  pinnace  is  won  !  we  shall  be  able  to  launch  her 
easily  after  all.  Come,  boys,  let  us  see  if  she  has  suffered 
from  the  explosion  which  has  set  her  free." 

The  boys  gazed  at  me  for  a  moment,  and  then  guessing  my 
eecret,  "  You  planned  it  yourself,  you  clever,  cunning  father  ! 
Oh,  that  machine  we  helped  to  make  was  on  purpose  to  blow 
it  up  !  "  cried  they  ;  and  eagerly  they  followed  me  into  the 
shattered  opening,  where,  to  my  intense  satisfaction,  I  found 
averything  as  I  could  wish,  and  the  captive  in  no  way  a  suf- 
ferer from  the  violent  measures  I  had  adopted  for  her  deliver- 
ance. 

The  boys  were  deeply  interested  in  examining  the  effects  of 
the  explosion,  and  in  the  explanation  I  gave  them  of  the  prin- 
ciple and  proper  way  to  manage  a  petard. 

It  was  evident  that  the  launch  could  now  be  effected  with- 
out  much  trouble  ;  I  had  been  careful  to  place  rollers  beneath 
the  keel,  so  that  by  means  of  levers  and  pulleys  we  might, 
with  our  united  strength,  move  her  forward  toward  the  water. 
A  rope  was  attached  by  which  to  regulate  the  speed  of  the 
descent,  and  then,  all  hands  putting  their  shoulders  to  the 
work,  the  pinnace  began  to  slide  from  the  stocks,  and  finally 
slipped  gently  and  steadily  into  the  water,  where  she  floated 
as  if  conscious  it  was  her  native  element ;  while  we,  wild  with 
excitement,  cheered  and  waved  enthusiastically.  We  then 
only  remained  long  enough  to  secure  our  prize  carefully  at  the 
most  sheltered  point,  and  went  back  to  Tentholm,  where  we 
accounted  for  the  explosion  ;  saying  that  having  blown  awaj 
one  side  of  the  ship,  we  should  be  able  to  obtain  the  rest  of  its 
contents  with  a  very  few  more  days'  work. 

These  days  were  devoted  to  completing  the  rigging,  the 
mounting  of  her  two  littl^  brass  guns,  and  all  necessary  ar- 
rangements about  the  pinnace.  It  was  wonderful  what  mar- 
tial ardor  was  awakened  by  the  possession  of  a  vessel  armed 
with  two  real  guns.  The  boys  chattered  incessantly  about 
savages,  fleets  of  canoes,  attack,  defense,  and  final  annihilation 
of  the  invaders. 

I  assured  them  that,  brilliant  as  their  victories  would  doubt- 
less be,  we  should  have  good  cause  to  thank  God  if  their  fight* 
ingpowers  and  new-born  valor  were  never  put  to  the  test, 

The  pinnace  was  fully  equipped  and  ready  to  sail,  while  yefc 


$0  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   BOBINSOST. 

no  idea  of  the  surprise  we  were  preparing  for  her  had  dawned 
upon  my  wife,  and  I  permitted  the  boys,  who  had  kept  the 
secret  so  well,  to  fire  a  salute  when  we  entered  the  bay. 

Casting  off  from  the  ship,  and  spreading  the  sail,  our  voy- 
age began.  The  pinnace  glided  swiftly  through  the  water.  I 
stood  at  the  helm,  Ernest  and  Jack  manned  the  guns,  and 
Fritz  gave  the  word  of  command,  "  Fire !  "  Bang  !  bang  1 
rattled  out  a  thrilling  report,  which  echoed  and  re-echoed 
among  the  cliffs,  followed  by  our  shouts  and  hurrahs. 

The  mother  and  her  little  boy  rushed  hastily  forward  from 
near  the  tent,  and  we  could  plainly  see  their  alarm  and  aston- 
ishment ;  but  speedily  recognizing  us,  they  waved  joyfully, 
and  came  quickly  to  the  landing  place  to  meet  us. 

By  skillful  management  we  brought  the  pinnace  near  a  pro- 
jection of  the  bank,  and  Fritz  assisted  his  mother  to  come  on 
board,  where,  breathless  with  haste  and  excitement,  she  ex- 
claimed, "You  dear,  horrid,  wonderful  people,  shall  I  scold 
you  or  praise  you  ?  You  have  frightened  me  out  of  my  wits  ! 
To  see  a  beautiful  little  ship  come  sailing  in  was  startling 
enough,  for  I  could  not  conceive  who  might  be  on  board,  but 
the  report  of  your  guns  made  me  tremble  with  fear — and 
had  I  not  recognized  your  voices  directly  after,  I  should  hav« 
run  away  with  Franz — Heaven  knows  where !  But  have  you 
really  done  all  this  work  yourselves  ? "  she  continued,  when 
we  had  been  forgiven  for  terrifying  her  with  our  vainglorious 
salute.  "  "What  a  charming  little  yacht  1  I  should  not  be 
afraid  to  sail  in  this  myself." 

After  the  pinnace  had  been  shown  off,  and  received  the  ad- 
miration she  deserved,  while  our  industry,  skill,  and  persever- 
ance met  with  boundless  praise:  "Now,"  said  my  wife,  "you 
must  come  with  me,  and  see  how  little  Franz  and  I  have  im- 
proved our  time  every  day  of  your  absence." 

We  all  landed,  and  with  great  curiosity  followed  the  mother 
up  the  river  toward  the  cascade  ;  where,  to  our  astonishment, 
we  found  a  garden  neatly  laid  out  in  beds  and  walks  ;  and  she 
continued,  "  We  don't  frighten  people  by  firing  salutes  in 
honor  of  our  performances  ;  although,  by  and  by,  I  too  shall 
want  fire  in  a  peaceable  form.  Look  at  my  beds  of  lettuce 
and  cabbages,  myrows  of  beans  and  peas  !  Think  what  deli- 
oious  dinners  I  shall  be  able  to  cook  for  you,  and  give  me 
eredit  for  my  diligence." 

"  My  dear  wife  I "  I  exclaimed,  "  this  is  beautiful !  You 
have  done  wonders  !  Did  you  not  find  the  work  too  hard  ?  " 

*The  ground  is  light  and  easy  to  dig  hereabouts,"  she  re- 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON:  91 

plied.  **I  have  planted  potatoes,  and  cassava  roots  ;  there  is 
space  for  sugar-canes,  and  the  young  fruit  trees,  and  I  shall 
want  you  to  contrive  to  irrigate  them,  by  leading  water  from 
the  cascades  in  hollow  bamboos.  Up  by  the  sheltering  rocks 
I  mean  to  have  pine-apples  and  melons;  they  will  look  splen- 
did when  they  spread  there.  To  shelter  the  beds  of  European 
vegetables  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  I  have  planted  seeds  of 
maize  round  them.  The  shadow  of  the  tall  plants  will  afford 
protection  from  the  burning  rays.  Do  you  think  that  is  & 
good  plan  ?  " 

"  I  do,  indeed  ;  the  whole  arrangement  is  capital.  Now,  as 
sunset  approaches,  we  must  return  to  the  tent  for  supper  and 
fest,  for  both  of  which  we  are  all  quite  ready." 

The  time  passed  in  happy  talk  over  our  many  new  interests ; 
everyone  had  the  pleasant  sensation  which  attends  successful 
labor,  as  well  as  experiencing  the  joy  of  affording  unexpected 
pleasure  to  others  ;  and  I  especially  pointed  out  to  my  sons 
how  true,  genuine  happiness  consists  in  that,  rather  than  in 
mere  self -gratification. 

Next  morning,  my  wife  said  :  "  If  you  can  exist  on  shore 
long  enough  to  visit  Falconhurst,  dear  husband,  I  should  like 
you  to  attend  to  the  little  fruit  trees.  I  fear  they  have  been 
too  much  neglected.  I  have  watered  them  occasionally,  and 
spread  earth  over  the  roots  as  they  lay,  but  I  could  not  man- 
age to  plant  them." 

"  You  have  done  far  more  than  I  could  have  expected,  my 
wife,"  I  replied,  "  and  provided  you  do  not  ask  me  to  give  up 
the  sea  altogether,  I  most  willingly  agree  to  your  request, 
end  will  go  to  Falconhurst  as  soon  as  the  raft  is  unloaded,  and 
everything  safely  arranged  here." 

Life  on  shore  was  an  agreeable  change  for  us  all,  and  the 
boys  went  actively  to  work,  so  that  the  stores  were  quickly 
brought  up  to  the  tent,  piled  in  order,  and  carefully  covered 
with  sailcloths,  fastened  down  by  pegs  all  round.  The  pinnace 
being  provided  with  an  anchor,  was  properly  moored,  and 
her  elegant  appearance  quite  altered  the  looks  of  our  harbor, 
hitherto  occupied  only  by  the  grotesque  tub  boat,  and  flat, 
uninteresting  raft. 

Taking  an  ample  supply  of  everything  we  should  require  at 
Falconhurst,  we  were  soon  comfortably  re-established  in  that 
charming  abode,  its  peaceful  shade  seeming  more  delightful 
than  ever,  after  the  heat  and  hard  work  we  had  lately  under- 
gone. 

Several  Sundays  had  passed  during  our  stay  at  Tentholm, 


99  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBTNSOW. 

and  the  welcome  Day  of  Rest  now  returned  again,  to  be 
observed  with  heartfelt  devotion  and  grateful  praise. 

I  did  not  attempt  too  much  in  the  form  of  preaching,  as  I 
could  not  have  secured  the  attention  of  my  hearers  to  any  long- 
winded  discourse,  but  they  were  interested  in  the  Bible  read- 
ing and  simple  instructions  I  drew  from  it,  and  their  young 
voices  joined  sweetly  in  favorite  hymns,  which  my  wife  sang 
from  memory. 

In  the  evening  I  desired  the  boys  to  let  me  see  their  dex« 
ierity  in  athletic  exercises,  such  as  running,  leaping,  wrestling, 
and  climbing  ;  telling  them  they  must  keep  up  the  practice  of 
these  things,  so  as  to  grow  strong,  active  men,  powerful  to 
repel  and  cope  with  danger,  as  well  as  agile  and  swift- 
footed  to  escape  from  it.  No  man  can  be  really  courageous 
and  self-reliant  without  an  inward  consciousness  of  physical 
power  and  capability. 

"  I  want  to  see  my  sons  strong,  both  morally  and  physi- 
cally, "  said  I ;  "  that  means,  little  Franz,"  as  the  large  blue 
eyes  looked  inquiringly  ap  at  me,  "  brave  to  do  what  is  good 
and  right,  and  to  hate  evil,  and  strong  to  work,  hunt,  and  pro- 
vide for  themselves  and  others,  and  to  fight  if  necessary." 

On  the  following  day,  the  boys  seeming  disposed  to  carry 
out  my  wishes  by  muscular  exercise  of  all  sorts,  I  encouraged 
them  by  saying  I  meant  to  prepare  a  curious  new  weapon  for 
them,  only  they  must  promise  not  to  neglect  the  practice 
of  archery ;  as  to  their  guns,  I  had  no  reason  to  fear  they 
would  be  laid  aside. 

Taking  a  long  cord,  I  attached  a  leaden  bullet  to  each  end 
and  had  instantly  to  answer  a  storm  of  questions  as  to  what 
this  could  possibly  be  for. 

'*  This  is  a  miniature  lasso,"  said  I ;  "  the  Mexicans,  Pata- 
gonians,  and  various  tribes  of  South  America,  make  use  of  this 
weapon  in  hunting,  with  marvelous  dexterity,  only,  having 
no  bullets,  they  fasten  stones  to  their  ropes,  which  are  im- 
mensely longer  than  this.  One  end  is  swung  round  and  round 
the  mounted  hunter's  head,  and  then  cast  with  skill  and  pre- 
cision toward  the  animal  he  wishes  to  strike  ;  immediately 
drawing  it  back,  he  can  repeat  the  blow,  and  either  kill  or 
wound  his  prey.  Frequently,  however,  the  intention  is  to  take 
the  animal,  wild  horse,  or  buffalo,  or  whatever  it  may  be,  alive  ; 
and  in  that  case,  the  lasso  is  thrown,  while  riding  m  hot  pur- 
suit, in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  stone  twist  many  times 
round  the  neck,  body,  or  legs  of  the  fugitive,  arresting  him 
even  in  full  career." 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBDTCOV.  9fl 

"  Oh,  father,  what  a  splendid  contrivance  !  Will  you  try 
ft  now  ?  There  is  the  donkey,  father !  do  catch  the  donkey. 

Not  at  all  certain  of  my  powers,  I  declined  to  practice  upon 
a  live  subject,  but  consented  to  make  a  trial  of  skill  by  aiming 
at  the  stump  of  a  tree  at  no  great  distance. 

My  success  surpassed  my  own  expectations  ;  the  stump  was 
entwined  by  the  cord  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  no  doubt 
whatever  as  to  the  feasibility  of  the  wonderful  performances 
I  described ;  and  I  was  assailed  by  petitions  from  the  boys, 
each  anxious  to  possess  a  lasso  of  his  own  without  a  moment's 
delay. 

As  the  manufacture  was  simple,  their  wishes  were  speedily 
gratified,  and  lasso  practice  became  the  order  of  the  day. 

Fritz,  who  was  the  most  active  and  adroit,  besides  having, 
of  course,  the  greatest  muscular  strength,  soon  became  skilled 
in  the  art. 

That  night  a  change  came  over  the  weather,  and  early  next 
morning  I  perceived  that  a  gale  of  wind  was  getting  up. 
From  the  height  of  our  trees  I  could  see  that  the  surface  of 
the  sea  was  in  violent  agitation. 

It  was  with  no  small  satisfaction  that  I  thought  of  OUT 
hard-won  pinnace,  safely  moored  in  the  harbor,  and  recol- 
lected that  there  was  nothing  to  call  us  to  the  wreck  for  the 
next  few  days. 

My  attention  was  by  no  means  monopolized  by  my  sons 
and  their  amusements.  The  good  mother  had  much  to  show 
me  demanding  my  approval,  advice,  or  assistance,  as  the  case 
might  be. 

A  good  supply  of  wild  pigeons  and  ortolans  had  been  snared, 
partly  cooked,  and  preserved  in  lard.  Of  these  she  showed 
me  her  small  cask  well  filled. 

Then  the  nests  of  various  pairs  of  tame  pigeons  were  ex*t 
hibited,  but  her  chief  care  was  the  unpromising  condition  oi 
her  dear  little  fruit  trees,  for,  having  been  forgotten,  they 
were  so  dry  and  withered,  ttat  unless  planted  without  furthei* 
delay,  she  feared  we  should  lose  them. 

This  needful  work  we  set  about,  therefore,  at  once,  pro 
posing  afterward  an  excursion  to  the  Calabash  Wood,  in 
order  to  manufacture  a  large  supply  of  vessels  and  utensils  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes. 

Everyone  was  inclined  for  this  expedition ;  consequently 
the  planting  of  the  orchard  was  carried  on  with  surprising 
vigor,  but  was  not  completed  until  toward  evening  ;  and  then 
%ll  sorts  of  arrangements  were  made  for  an  early  start  next 


94  THE  SWISS   FAMILY  BOBINSON. 

day  The  mother  and  Franz  were  to  be  of  the  party,  and 
their  equipment  took  some  time,  for  we  meant  to  make  a 
grand  family  excursion,  attended  by  our  domestic  pets  and 
servants ! 

By  sunrise  we  were  all  astir,  and  everything  quickly 
y  made  ready  for  a  start. 

The  sledge,  loaded  with  ammunition  and  baskets  of  provis- 
ions, and  drawn  by  the  donkey,  was  to  be  used  for  carrying 
home  our  gourd  manufactures,  as  well  as  any  other  prize  we 
might  fall  in  with. 

Turk,  as  usual,  headed  the  procession,  clad  in  his  coat  oi 
•nail. 

Then  came  the  boys  with  tneir  guns  and  game  bags.  Their 
mother  and  I  followed,  and  behind  trotted  Juno,  not  in  very 
pood  spirits,  poor  dog !  because  Master  Knips,  who  had  no 
idea  of  being  left  alone,  must  needs  ride  on  her  back. 

On  this  occasion  I  took  two  guns  with  me,  one  loaded  with 
shot  for  game,  another  with  ball  for  our  defense  against 
beasts  of  prey. 

Flamingo  Marsh  was  quickly  crossed,  and  the  magnificent 
country  beyond  lay  extended  in  all  its  beauty  and  fertility 
before  our  eyes.  It  was  new  to  my  wife  and  two  of  the  boys, 
and  the  lovely  prospect  enchanted  them. 

Here  Fritz  and  Jack  turned  aside  into  the  bush,  where  pres- 
ently loud  barking  was  followed  by  the  quick  report  of  a  gun, 
and  a  large  bird,  which  had  risen  from  thicket,  fell  heavily  to 
the  ground  before  us.  Far  from  resigning  itself,  however,  to 
death  or  captivity,  it  sprung  to  its  feet,  and,  unable  to  fly, 
rushed  away  with  extraordinary  speed,  hotly  pursued  by  the 
excited  dog,  while  Fritz  ran,  panting,  in  the  same  direction,  and 
Juno,  eager  to  join  the  chase,  sprang  aside  so  suddenly  that 
her  rider  was  flung  unceremoniously  on  the  sand,  as  she  darted 
to  intercept  the  retreat  of  the  active  bird.  This  she  cleverly 
accomplished,  but  its  defense  was  maintained  so  fiercely,  as  it 
struck  out  with  its  powerful  legs  and  sharp  claws,  that  neither 
Fritz  nor  the  dogs  could  master  it. 

I  hastened  to  their  assistance,  and  found  Juno  holding  on 
nobly  by  the  wing  she  had  seized,  while  the  bird,  which  proved 
to  be  a  magnificent  bustard,  struggled  and  fought  fiercely. 
Watching  my  opportunity,  I  threw  a  large  handkerchief  over 
it,  and  with  difficulty  succeeded  in  binding  its  legs  and  wings. 
It  was  borne  in  triumph  to  the  rest  of  our  party,  who  mean- 
time had  been  reclining  on  the  sand. 

"  What  havfi  you  got  ?  "  "  Wh*fchas  Fritz  shot  ?  "  cried  the 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON.  95 

boys,  starting  up  at  our  approach.  "  A  bustard  !  oh,  that  is 
splendid  !  " 

"  To  be  sure,  it  is  the  one  we  missed  that  day,  don't  you 
remember,  mother  ?  Ah,  ha  !  old  fellow,  you  are  done  for  this 
time  I "  said  Jack. 

"  I  think  this  is  a  hen  bustard  ;  it  is  the  mother  bird,"  said 
Ernest. 

"  Ah,  yes,  poor  thing  ! "  exclaimed  my  wife,  in  a  tone  of 
concern  ;  "  it  is  most  likely  the  same,  and  I  know  she  had  a 
brood  of  young  birds,  and  now  they  will  be  left  unprotected 
and  miserable.  Had  we  not  better  let  her  go  ?  " 

"Why,  my  dear,  kind-hearted  wife,  that  was  weeks  and 
weeks  ago  !  Those  little  birds  are  all  strong  and  big  by  this 
time,  and  I  dare  say  Mrs.  Bustard  here  has  forgotten  all  about 
them.  Besides,  she  is  badly  wounded,  and  we  must  try  to 
cure  the  hurt.  If  we  succeed,  she  will  be  a  valuable  addition 
to  our  poultry  yard  ;  if  we  cannot,  you  shall  roast  her  for 
dinner." 

Resuming  our  march,we  next  arrived  at  the  Monkey  Grove, 
which  was  the  scene  of  the  tragi-comic  adventure  by  which 
Fritz  became  the  guardian  of  the  orphan  ape. 

While  he  amused  us  all  by  a  lively  and  graphic  description 
of  the  scene,  Ernest  was  standing  apart  under  a  splendid  cocoa- 
nut  palm,  gazing  in  fixed  admiration  at  the  grand  height  of 
the  stem,  and  its  beautiful,  graceful  crown  of  leaves.  The 
cluster  of  nuts  beneath  these  evidently  added  interest  to  tho 
spectacle,  for,  drawing  quietly  near  him,  I  heard  a  long-drawn 
sigh,  and  the  words  : 

"  It's  awfully  high  \    I  wish  one  would  fall  down  ! " 

Scarcely  had  he  uttered  these  words,  than,  as  if  by  magic, 
down  plumped  a  huge  nut  at  his  feet. 

The  boy  was  quite  startled,  and  sprang  aside,  looking 
timidly  upward,  when,  to  my  surprise,  down  came  another. 

"  Why,  this  is  just  like  the  fairy  tale  of  the  wishing-cap  !"* 
cried  Ernest.  "  My  wish  is  granted  as  soon  as  formed  !  " 

"  I  suspect  the  fairy  in  this  instance  is  more  anxious  to  pelt 
us  and  drive  us  away  than  to  bestow  dainty  gifts  upon  us," 
said  I.  "  I  think  there  is  most  likely  a  cross-grained  old  ap« 
sitting  up  among  those  shadowy  leaves  and  branches." 

We  examined  the  nuts,  thinking  they  were  perhaps  old  one*, 
and  had  fallen,  in  consequence,  naturally,  but  they  were  not 
even  quite  ripe. 

Anxious  to  discover  what  was  in  the  tree,  we  all  surrounded 
it,  gaping  and  gazing  upward  with  curious  eyes. 


96  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

*HuDo  !  I  see  him  !  "  shouted  Fritz  presently.  "  Oh,  a  hid- 
eous creature  !  what  can  it  be  ?  flat,  round,  as  big  as  a  plate, 
and  with  a  pair  of  horrid  claws  !  Here  he  comes  !  He  is  go- 
ing to  creep  down  the  tree  !  " 

At  this,  little  Franz  slipped  behind  his  mother,  Ernest  took 
a  glance  round  to  mark  a  place  of  retreat,  Jack  raised  the  butt- 
end  of  his  gun,  and  every  eye  was  fixed  on  the  trunk  of  the 
tree,  down  which  a  large  land-crab  commenced  a  leisurely  de- 
scent. As  it  approached  within  reach,  Jack  hit  at  it  boldly, 
when  it  suddenly  dropped  the  remaining  distance,  and  opening 
its  great  claws,  sidled  after  him  with  considerable  rapidity, 
upon  which  he  fairly  turned  tail  and  ran.  We  all  burst  into 
a  roar  of  laughter,  which  soon  made  him  face  about,  and  then, 
to  our  infinite  amusement,  the  little  fellow  prepared  for  a  fresh 
onset ;  laying  down  all  he  was  carrying,  pulling  off  his  jacket 
and  spreading  it  wide  out  in  both  hands,  he  returned  to 
the  charge,  suddenly  threw  his  garment  over  the  creature, 
wrapped  it  well  round  it,  and  then  pummeled  it  with  all  the 
strength  of  his  fists. 

For  a  few  minutes  I  could  do  nothing  but  laugh,  but  then 
running  to  him  with  my  hatchet,  I  struck  several  sharp  blows 
on  his  bundle,  which  we  opened  carefully,  and  found  within 
the  land-crab  perfectly  dead. 

"  Well,  this  is  an  ugly  rascal  1  "  cried  Jack  ;  "  if  he 
hadn't  been  so  hideous,  I  should  not  have  dealt  so  se- 
verely with  him.  I  wasn't  a  bit  afraid.  What  is  the  crea- 
ture's name?'* 

"  This  is  a  crab,  a  land-crab,"  said  I,  "  of  which  there  are 
many  varieties,  and  this,  I  think,  is  called  a  cocoanut  crab,  or 
at  least  it  deserves  the  name,  for  it  is  evidently  very  fond  of 
eating  these  nuts,  since  it  takes  the  trouble  to  climb  the  trees 
for  them  ;  the  difficulty  of  getting  at  the  kernel,  too,  is  con- 
siderable. You  showed  no  little  presence  of  mind,  Jack,  when 
you  thought  of  catching  it  in  your  jacket ;  in  fact,  it  might 
have  been  more  than  a  match  for  you  otherwise,  for  some  are 
most  determined  fighters,  and  are  very  swift,  too.  Now  let  us 
take  it,  as  well  as  the  nuts,  to  the  sledge,  and  go  on  our  way." 

Progress  became  difficult,  for  we  were  constantly  stopped 
in  passing  through  the  wood,  by  having  to  cut  away  the  hang- 
ing boughs  and  creeping  plants  which  interlaced  them.  Ernest 
was  behind,  and  by-and-by  called  me  back  to  see  what  proved 
to  be  an  important  discovery  ;  from  the  several  stalks  of  one 
of  these  creepers  flowed  clear  cold  water,  and  I  recognized 
the  "liane  rouge,"  which  »•  known  in  America,  and  is  so 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  97 

precious  to  the  thirsty  hunter  or  traveler.  This  is  truly  one 
of  God's  good  gifts  to  man  ! 

The  boys  were  much  delighted  with  this  curious  plant. 
"  Only  fancy,  mother,"  said  Ernest,  as  he  showed  it  to  her, 
"  how  cheering  and  refreshing  to  find  this  if  one  were  lost 
and  alone  in  a  vast  forest,  wandering  for  days  and  days  with- 
out being  near  a  natural  spring  of  water." 

"  But  are  you  certain  it  is  safe  to  drink  this  ?  "  asked  she. 

I  assured  her  it  was  so,  and  advised  the  boys  to  cut  enough 
to  quench  the  thirst  of  the  whole  party,  including  our  animals. 
This  they  did,  only  finding  it  necessary,  as  with  the  sugar 
canes,  to  cut  air  holes  above  the  joints. 

After  struggling  onward  for  a  short  time,  we  emerged 
from  the  thickets  into  open  ground,  and  saw  the  calabash  trees 
in  the  distance.  As  we  drew  near,  their  curious  appearance 
and  singular  fruit  caused  much  surprise  and  also  amusement, 
for  we  were  speedily  established  among  the  trees,  where,  as  I 
chose  and  cut  down  the  gourds  most  likely  to  be  useful,  every- 
one engaged  merrily  in  the  work  of  cutting,  carving,  sawing, 
and  scooping  some  manner  of  dish,  bawl,  cup,  jar,  or  platter, 
according  to  his  several  taste  or  ability. 

We  were  to  dine  here,  and  after  a  time  Fritz  and  Jack 
began  to  prepare  a  fireplace,  their  great  ambition  being  to 
heat  the  stones  red  hot,  and  cook  the  crab  in  a  hollow  gourd. 
Their  mother,  therefore,  left  them  to  their  own  devices,  and 
attended  to  the  hungry  animals,  unharnessing  the  ass  to  graze, 
and  giving  cocoanut  milk  to  the  poor  little  monkey,  who  had 
been  obliged  to  travel  in  a  covered  basket  for  some  time,  lest 
he  should  be  lost  in  the  woods.  The  wounded  bustard  had 
been  completely  forgotten,  and  from  heat  and  thirst  was 
suffering  greatly  until  her  friendly  care  revived  it,  and  it  was 
tied  to  a  tree  and  allowed  to  move  about,  its  fierce  spirit 
greatly  tamed  by  adversity. 

The  cooking  operations  came  to  a  stand  soon  after  the  fire 
was  lighted,  for  it  appeared  that  we  had  no  more  water  in  the 
jars  we  had  brought,  so  the  boys  proposed  to  go  in  search  of  ( 
a  spring.  I  agreed  to  accompany  them  ;  Ernest  also  wished 
to  join  us,  and  as  our  intention  was  to  examine  merely  the 
surrounding  wood,  I  saw  no  objection  to  leaving  their  mother 
and  Franz  for  a  short  time. 

Very  soon  after  our  exploration  began,  Ernest,  who  was 
in  front,  turned  with  a  face  of  terror,  shouting, "  A  wild  boar  I 
an  immense  wild  boar,  father  !  Do  come,  quick  !  "  And  sure 
enough,  I  heard  a  loud  snorting:  and  puffing  as  some  large 


98  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  BOBIKSON. 

animal  passed  hastily  through  the  thick  underwood  beyond 
us.  "  After  him  lads,  after  him  !  "  cried  I,  hurrying  forward. 
"  Call  the  dogs  !  stand  ready  to  fire  ! "  And  we  pressed 
through  the  bushes  to  the  spot  where  Ernest  had  seen  the 
creature.  The  ground  was  grubbed  up,  and  some  potatoes 
lay  about,  showing  that  we  had  disturbed  him  at  his  mid-day 
meal.  Ernest  and  Jack  were  more  disposed  to  gather  the 
roots  than  to  follow  up  the  chase.  Fritz  and  I  alone  went 
after  the  dogs,  who  eagerly  pushed  on,  and  by  the  sounds  we 
heard  had  evidently  attacked  the  boar  at  no  great  distance. 
Terrific  barking,  snarling,  and  grunting  guided  us  to  the 
scene  of  action,  and  we  beheld  our  mastiffs  one  on  each 
side  of  a  large  respectable-looking  pig,  holding  on  by  the 
great  ears,  while  the  animal,  on  seeing  us,  appeared  rather  to 
beseech  our  interference  than  to  propose  to  offer  a  desperate 
resistance. 

In  a  moment  the  truth  became  apparent !  The  captive 
grunter  was  no  fierce  native  of  the  forest,  but  our  own  run* 
away  sow  !  Our  excitement  had  been  wound  to  so  high  4 
pitch  that  the  discovery  was  quite  a  shock,  and  we  felt  half 
angry  with  the  creature  who  had  disappointed  us  ;  then  the 
absurdity  of  the  whole  thing  made  us  laugh  heartily,  and 
calling  off  the  dogs,  the  old  lady  was  released  from  her  igno« 
minions  position.  Our  laughter  resounding  through  the 
wood,  brought  Ernest  and  Jack  from  their  potatoes,  to  see 
what  was  going  on. 

"Much  use  you  two  would  have  been  suppose  we  had 
required  help,"  cried  Fritz,  as  they  recognized  their  old 
friend. 

"Ah,  well,  you  see,"  returned  Jack,  "Ernest  and  I  had  a 
sort  of  a  kind  of  presentiment  that  this  was  going  to  be  the 
old  sow.  And  just  look  at  our  fine  potatoes  !  " 

A  good  deal  of  joking  on  the  subject  ensued,  but  was  in- 
terrupted by  Ernest,  who  drew  our  attention  to  fruit  resem- 
bling apples  on  the  surrounding  bushes,  and  on  the  grass  beneath 
them. 

The  sow  was  making  amends  for  the  fright  and  pain  she 
had  endured  by  munching  and  crunching  this  fruit  at  a  great 
rate.  Fritz  feared  that  it  might  be  the  poisonous  manchineel, 
against  which  I  once  warned  them,  but  on  examining  it,  I  was 
induced  to  pronounce  a  more  favorable  opinion,  and  we  col- 
lected a  quantity  in  hopes  that,  if  the  monkey  approved  of  it 
as  well  as  the  old  sow,  we  might  be  able  to  enjoy  a  feast  our- 
•elves. 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON.  99 

All  this  time  not  a  drop  of  water  had  we  seen,  and  our  own 
thirst  increasing,  we  felt  eager  to  procure  some  before  return- 
ing to  our  resting-place. 

Jack  preceded  us,  and  we  made  our  way  toward  a  high 
rock,  which  rose  above  the  thickets,  when  he  suddenly  startled 
us  by  a  loud  cry  of  "  A  crocodile  !    father  !    father  !    A 
.crocodile  ! " 

"  Nonsense,  boy  !  A  crocodile,  of  all  things,  in  this  dry, 
parched  forest,  where  we  can't  get  so  much  as  a  mouthful  of 
water ! " 

j  On  advancing  to  where  Jack  stood,  I  perceived  that  his 
mistake  was  not  so  very  silly  after  all,  for  I  beheld  an  iguana, 
one  of  the  largest  of  the  lizard  species,  and  a  truly  formidable- 
looking  fellow.  I  was  glad  to  assure  Jack  that  the  strange 
creature  he  had  found  was  perfectly  harmless,  and  that  its 
flesh  being  esteemed  a  delicacy,  it  would  be  a  valuable  prize  to 
carry  back  with  us. 

In  another  moment  Fritz  would  have  fired,  but  arresting  hig 
hand,  "  Your  shot,"  I  said,  "  would  probably  only  wound  the 
animal,  and  being  extremely  tenacious  of  life,  it  would  cer- 
tainly escape  ;  we  must  gain  possession  of  the  sleeping  beauty 
by  a  gentler  method." 

"  You  are  not  going  to  kiss  it,  are  you,  father  ?  "  asked  Jack, 
with  a  grin. 

I  tried  to  rebuke  him  for  his  impertinence,  but,  failing,  I 
commenced  operations.  I  first  attached  a  cord  and  running- 
noose  to  a  stout  stick,  and  holding  a  light  switch  in  my  other 
hand,  I  began  to  approach  the  creature  with  soft,  slow  steps, 
while  the  boys  looked  on  with  the  utmost  curiosity. 

Presently  I  began  very  softly  to  whistle  a  sweet,  yet  very 
lively  air,  which  I  continued  more  and  more  distinctly  as  I 
drew  near  the  lizard  ;  until,  awaking,  it  seemed  to  listen  with 
pleasure — raising  its  head  as  though  better  to  catch  the  sounds, 
or  to  discover  whence  they  came. 

When  near  enough,  I  began  gently  to  stroke  and  tickle  him 
with  the  wand,  continuing  to  whistle  the  prettiest  tunes  I 
could  think  of  ;  and  the  lizard  gave  signs  of  pleasurable  con- 
tentment, stretching  his  limbs  and  moving  his  tail  in  token  of 
enjoyment. 

Suddenly,  availing  myself  of  a  movement  of  his  head,  I 
cast  the  noose  over  it,  drew  the  cord  tight,  and  placing  my 
foot  on  the  body,  I  was  about  to  kill  it  by  piercing  the  nostril 
— almost  the  only  vulnerable  part  in  this  singular  reptile — 
when  Jack  received  such  a  slap  from  its  tail,  which  was  fan- 


THE   BWISS  FAMILY 

ously  driving  in  all  directions,  as  sent  him  rolling  over  like  s 
ninepin.  At  the  same  time  he  opened  his  jaws,  when  the 
boys  took  fright  at  the  row  of  sharp  teeth,  and  thinking  that 
the  sooner  he  was  dead  the  better,  were  for  battering  him  with 
sticks  ;  but  I  assuring  them  my  method  would  kill  him  more 
quickly  and  without  pain,  thrust  my  rod  into  his  nostril,  on 
which  the  blood  flowed  and  the  lizard  soon  expired. 

The  boys  seemed  to  think  me  as  wonderful  a  person  as  a 
snake  charmer,  and  the  success  of  my  stratagem,  as  well  as  of 
the  means  by  which  the  lizard  was  slain,  called  forth  great  ad- 
miration, since  they  had  never  heard  of  the  animal,  nor  of  the 
method  of  capturing  it  so  commonly  practised  in  the  West 
Indies. 

Now  came  the  question  of  how  we  were  to  carry  this  un- 
wieldy burden.  I  had  a  great  dislike  to  killing  any  creature 
and  leaving  it  useless  behind  me ;  so,  without  more  ado,  I 
fairly  took  it  on  my  back,  and  marched  off  with  it. 

As  we  came  toward  the  Calabash  Wood,  we  could  hear  the 
voices  of  the  deserted  mother  and  child  calling  us  in  anxious 
tones  ;  for  indeed  our  protracted  absence  alarmed  them.  We 
shouted  joyously  in  reply,  and  our  appearance,  as  we  issued 
from  the  woods,  afforded  them  welcome  relief  from  their 
fears,  although  the  dreadful  creature  on  my  back  startled 
them  not  a  little. 

There  was  so  much  to  tell,  so  much  to  be  seen,  that  for  a 
time  hunger  and  thirst  were  forgotten  ;  and  no  one  thought 
even  of  the  water  we  had  vainly  gone  in  search  of,  until  Mas- 
ter Knips,  having  slyly  possessed  himself  of  some  of  our  new- 
found apples,  was  discovered  munching  away  and  enjoying 
them  amazingly — which  instantly  gave  the  boys  a  strong 
wish  to  eat  some  also  ;  and  as  the  bustard  likewise  pecked  at 
them  without  hesitation,  I  felt  sure  there  could  be  no  danger ; 
and  on  tasting  them,  I  concluded  it  was  the  fruit  of  the  guava, 
a  West  Indian  plant,  which  we  were  delighted  to  have. 

Although  refreshing,  this  fruit  rather  sharpened  than  ap- 
peased our  appetites,  and  we  were  glad  to  eat  the  provisions 
we  had  brought  from  home,  without  waiting  to  cook  anything, 
as  we  had  originally  intended. 

It  was,  in  fact,  high  time  to  move  homeward,  and  we 
thought  it  best  not  to  encumber  ourselves  with  the  sledge  and 
the  greater  part  of  its  load,  but  to  leave  it  until  the  next  day. 
The  ass  was  laden  with  the  iguana  and  the  bustard  ;  and  little 
Franz,  tired  as  he  was,  looked  in  vain  for  a  spare  seat  on  to 
back. 


THIS  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBIX8ON.  lOl 

Onr  road  home  lay  through  a  majestic  forest  of  oak  trees, 
beneath  which  lay  numberless  acorns,  some  of  which  we  gath- 
ered as  we  went  along  ;  and  at  length,  before  night  closed  in, 
we  all  reached  Falconhurst  in  safety. 

When  supper  was  ready,  we  were  thankful  to  recruit  our 
exhausted  strength  by  eating  heartily  of  a  piece  of  broiled 
iguana,  with  potatoes  and  roast  acorns,  which  tasted  like  ex* 
cellent  chestnuts. 

CHAPTER  VIL 

flritz  and  I  return  to  the  Calabash  Wood — Fritz  shoots  a  ruffed  grouse— 
We  come  across  waxberry  bushes — Sociable  grosbeaks — Fritz  cap- 
tures a  parrot — A  lecture  on  ants — Caoutchouc  trees — The  sago-palm 
and  the  edible  worms — Return  with  sugar-canes  to  Falconhurst — 
Candle-making — How  to  make  butter  without  a  churn — Plant  trees 
and  adorn  Tentholm — Last  visit  to  the  wreck — The  first  ducklings 
on  the  island — Falconhurst  again — An  excursion — We  pitch  our  tent 
— Fritz  and  Jack  ascend  the  cocoanut  trees — Ernest  brings  us  a  deli- 
cacy— Loss  of  Grizzle — Jack  and  I  go  in  pursuit — Giant  bamboos- 
Encounter  with  buffaloes — The  buffalo  calf — Find  a  jackal's  lair- 
Reach  our  camp — What  happened  in  our  absence — Fritz's  pet — Sago 
manufacture — Meet  with  our  sow  and  her  family  again — How  Ernest 
tamed  the  eagle. 

THE  first  thing  to  be  done  on  the  following  day  was  to  re- 
turn to  the  Calabash  Wood,  to  fetch  the  sledge  with  the  dishes, 
bowls,  and  baskets  we  had  made. 

Fritz  alone  accompanied  me.  I  desired  the  other  boys  to 
remain  with  their  mother,  intending  to  explore  beyond  the 
chain  of  rocky  hills,  and  thinking  a  large  party  undesira- 
ble on  the  occasion. 

Passing  through  the  wood  of  evergreen  oaks,  we  observed 
our  sow  feasting  on  the  acorns,  evidently  not  a  whit  the  worse 
for  the  fright  we  had  given  her  the  previous  day — in  fact,  she 
appeared  more  friendly  disposed  toward  us  than  usual,  possi« 
bly  considering  us  as  her  deliverers  from  the  jaws  of  the  sav* 
age  dogs. 

Many  birds  tenanted  this  grove,  and  were  undisturbed  by 
our  movements,  until  Fritz  fired  and  shot  a  beautiful  bluejay 
and  a  couple  of  parroquets,  one  a  brilliant  scarlet,  the  other 
green  and  gold. 

Fritz  was  in  the  act  of  reloading  his  gun,  when  an  unac* 
•ountable  noise  struck  our  ears,  and  put  us  instantly  on  the 
alert,  because  it  appeared  like  the  dull  thumping  sound  of  a 
muffled  drum,  and  reminded  us  of  the  possible  presence  of 
savages. 


102  THE  SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

With  the  greatest  caution  we  drew  nearer  the  sound,  conceal, 
ing  ourselves  among  the  low  bushes  and  thick  grass  and  creep- 
ers,  until  we  reached  an  open  glade ;  where,  standing  on  an 
old  prostrate  log,  was  a  beautiful  bird,  about  the  size  of  a 
cock,  of  a  rich  chestnut  brown  color,  finely  mottled  with  dark 
brown  and  gray.  On  the  shoulders  were  curious  tufts  of  vel- 
vety black  feathers,  glossed  with  green.  He  was  ruffling  his 
wings,  erecting  his  tail  and  neck  feathers,  strutting  and  wheel- 
ing about  in  a  most  strange  and  stately  fashion.  After 
maneuvering  for  some  time  in  this  manner,  greatly  to  the 
edification  of  a  party  of  birds  resembling  him,  but  without 
any  ruff,  who,  assembled  round  the  stump,  were  enjoying  his 
performances,  he  spread  out  his  tail  like  a  fan,  stiffened  his 
wings,  and  began  to  strike  with  them  in  short,  rapid  beats, 
faster  and  faster,  until  a  rumbling  sound  like  very  distant 
thunder  was  produced,  and  the  whirring  wings  enveloped  him 
as  in  a  cloud.  This  was  the  drumming  noise  which  had 
alarmed  us,  increased,  as  I  imagine,  by  the  wing  strokes  fall- 
ing at  times  on  the  decayed  and  hollow  stump  on  which  tha 
curious  pantomime  was  acted. 

I  was  watching  it  with  the  utmost  interest,  when  a  shot 
from  behind  me  was  fired,  and  in  a  moment  the  play  was  at 
an  end  ;  my  over-hasty  son  had  changed  the  pretty  comedy 
into  a  sad  and  needless  tragedy.  The  enthusiastic  drummer 
fell  dead  from  his  perch,  and  the  crowd  of  admiring  compan- 
ions fled  in  dismay. 

The  cruel  interruption  of  a  scene  so  rare  and  remarkable 
annoyed  me  extremely,  and  I  blamed  Fritz  for  firing  without 
my  leave.  I  felt  sure  the  bird  was  the  ruffed  grouse,  and  a 
Tery  fine  specimen.  We  placed  it  on  the  ass,  which  was  pa- 
tiently awaiting  our  return,  and  went  on  our  way. 

The  sledge  was  quite  safe  where  we  had  left  it  ;  it  was 
early  in  the  day,  and  I  resolved  to  explore,  as  I  had  intended, 
the  line  of  cliff  and  rocky  hills,  which,  at  more  or  less  distance 
from  the  seashore,  extended  the  whole  length  of  coast  known 
or  visible  to  us. 

I  desired  to  discover  an  opening,  if  any  existed,  by  which 
to  penetrate  the  interior  of  the  country,  or  to  ascertain  posi- 
tively that  we  were  walled  in  and  isolated  on  this  portion  of 
the  coast. 

Leaving  Calabash  Wood  behind  us,  we  advanced  over 
ground  covered  with  manioc,  potatoes,  and  many  plants  un- 
known to  us  ;  pleasant  streamlets  watered  the  fruitful  soil, 
and  the  view  on  all  sides  was  open  and  agreeable. 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSOtf.  108 

Some  bushes  attracted  my  notice,  loaded  with  small  whit* 
berries,  of  peculiar  appearance  like  wax,  and  very  sticky  when 
plucked.  I  recognized  in  this  a  plant  called  by  botanists  Myri- 
ca  cerifera,  and  with  much  pleasure  explained  to  Fritz  that, 
by  melting  and  straining  these  berries,  we  might  easily  suc- 
ceed in  making  candles,  and  afford  very  great  satisfaction  to 
the  mother,  who  did  not  at  all  approve  of  having  to  lay  her 
work  aside  and  retire  to  rest  the  moment  the  sun  set.  The 
greenish  wax  to  be  obtained  would  be  more  brittle  than  bee* 
wax,  but  it  would  burn  very  fairly,  and  diffuse  an  agreeabla 
perfume.  Having  the  ass  with  us,  we  lost  no  time  in  gather 
ing  berries  enough  to  fill  one  of  the  large  canvas  bags  he  car- 
ried, and  we  then  continued  our  route. 

Very  soon  we  met  with  another  natural  curiosity,  the  curi- 
ous appearance  of  which  surprised  us  much.  This  was  the 
abode,  under  one  roof,  of  a  whole  colony  of  birds,  about  the 
size  of  yellow  hammers,  but  of  plain  brown  plumage.  The 
nests  were  built  in  a  mass  round  the  stem  and  among  the 
branches  of  a  tree  standing  alone,  and  a  kind  of  roof  formed 
of  grass,  straws,  and  fibers  covered  them  all,  and  sheltered  the 
community  from  rain  and  the  heat  of  the  sun.  There  were 
numbers  of  openings  into  the  irregular  sides  of  the  group  of 
dwellings,  the  nests  resembling  different  apartments  in  a  house 
common  to  all  ;  twigs  and  small  branches  emerged  here  and 
there  from  the  walls,  and  served  as  perches  for  the  young 
birds,  and  resting-places  and  posts  of  observation  for  all.  The 
general  appearance  of  the  establishment  reminded  us  of  a  huge 
bath-sponge.  The  feathered  inhabitants  swarmed  in  and  out 
by  thousands,  and  we  saw  among  them  many  beautiful  little 
parrots,  who  seemed  in  many  instances  to  contest  possession 
of  the  nest  with  the  lawful  owners. 

Fritz,  being  an  expert  climber  and  exceedingly  anxious  to 
examine  the  nests  more  closely,  ascended  the  tree,  hoping  tc 
obtain  one  or  two  young  birds,  if  any  were  hatched.  He  put 
his  hand  into  several  holes,  which  were  empty ;  but  at  last 
his  intended  theft  and  robbery  met  with  repulse  and  chastise, 
ment  he  little  expected  ;  for,  reaching  far  back  into  the  nest, 
his  finger  was  seized  and  sharply  bitten  by  a  very  strong  beak, 
BO  that  with  a  cry  he  withdrew  his  hand,  and  shook  it  vigor- 
ously to  lessen  the  pain.  Recovering  from  the  surprise,  lie 
again  and  more  resolutely  seized  the  unkind  bird,  and,  despite 
its  shrieks  and  screams,  drew  it  from  its  retreat,  crammed  it 
into  his  pocket,  buttoned  up  his  coat,  and  slid  quickly  to  the 
ground,  pursued  by  numbers  of  the  captive's  relations,  who 


104  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBINBON. 

darted  from  the  other  holes  and  flew  round  the  robber,  screech* 
ing  and  pecking  at  him  in  a  rage. 

Fritz's  prize  was  not  one  of  the  real  owners  of  the  nests, 
which  were  those  of  the  sociable  grosbeak,  but  a  very  pretty 
email  green  parrot,  with  which  he  was  greatly  pleased,  and 
which  he  at  once  determined  to  tame  and  teach  to  speak  ;  for 
the  present  it  was  carefully  remanded  to  prison  in  his  pocket. 

This  curious  colony  of  birds  afforded  us  matter  for  conver- 
sation as  We  went  on  our  way  ;  their  cheerful,  sociable  habits, 
and  the  instinct  which  prompted  them  to  unite  in  labor  for  the 
common  good,  appearing  most  wonderful  to  us. 

"  Examples  of  the  kind,  however,"  said  I,  "  are  numerous, 
in  various  classes  of  animals.  Beavers,  for  instance,  build 
and  live  together  in  a  very  remarkable  way.  Among  insects, 
bees,  wasps,  and  ants  are  well  known  as  social  archi- 
tects ;  in  like  manner,  the  coral  insect  works  wonders  beneath 
ihe  ocean  waves,  by  force  of  perseverance  and  united  effort.'* 

"  I  have  often  watched  ants  at  work,"  said  Fritz  ;  "  it  is 
<nost  amusing  to  see  how  they  carry  on  the  various  works 
and  duties  of  their  commonwealth." 

"  Have  you  ever  noticed  how  much  trouble  they  take  with 
the  eggs  ?  "  inquired  I,  to  see  how  far  he  understood  the  proc- 
ess ;  "  carrying  them  about  in  the  warmth  of  the  sun  until 
they  are  hatched  ?  " 

"  Ah !  that  is  rather  the  chrysalis  of  the  antworm,  01 
larva  which  is  produced  from  an  egg.  I  know  they  arfl 
called  ants'  eggs,  but,  strictly  speaking,  that  is  incorrect." 

"You  are  perfectly  right,  my  boy.  Well,  if  you  hava 
taken  so  much  interest  in  watching  the  little  ants  of  you* 
native  country,  how  delighted  and  astonished  you  would  be 
to  see  the  wonders  performed  by  the  vast  tribes  of  large  anta 
in  foreign  lands. 

"  Some  of  these  build  heaps  or  nests,  four  or  six  feet  high 
and  proportionately  broad,  which  are  so  strong  and  firm  that 
they  defy  equally  sunshine  and  rain.  They  are,  within, 
divided  into  regular  streets,  galleries,  vaults,  and  nurseries. 
So  firmly  are  these  mounds  built,  that  with  interior  altera% 
tions,  a  deserted  one  might  be  used  for  a  baking-oven. 

"The  ant,  although  respected  since  the  days  of  King 
Solomon  as  a  model  of  industry,  is  not  in  itself  an  attractive 
insect. 

"  It  exudes  a  sticky  moisture,  its  smell  is  unpleasant,  and  it 
destroys  and  devours  whatever  eatable  comes  in  its  way. 
Although,  in  our  own  country  it  does  little  harm,  the  large 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON.  105 

ants  of  foreign  lands  are  most  destructive  and  troublesome  £ 
it  being  very  difficult  to  check  their  depredations.  Fortunately 
they  have  enemies  by  whose  exertions  their  numbers  are  kept 
down  ;  birds,  other  insects,  and  even  four-footed  beasts  prey 
upon  them.  Chief  among  the  latter  is  the  ant-bear,  or 
tamanoir,  of  South  America,  a  large  creature  six  or  seven 
feet  in  length,  covered  with  long  coarse  hair,  drooping  like  a 
heavy  plume  over  the  hind  quarters.  The  head  is  wonder- 
fully elongated  and  very  narrow  ;  it  is  destitute  of  teeth,  and 
the  tongue  resembles  somewhat  a  great  red  earth-worm.  It 
has  immensely  strong  curved  claws,  with  which  it  tears  and 
breaks  down  and  scratches  to  pieces  the  hard  walls  of  the 
ant-heaps  ;  then,  protruding  its  sticky  tongue,  it  coils  and 
twists  it  about  among  the  terrified  millions  disturbed  by  its 
attack  ;  they  adhere  to  this  horrible  invader,  and  are  drawn 
irresistibly  backward  into  the  hungry,  toothless  jaws  awaiting 
them. 

"  The  little  ant-eater  is  not  more  than  about  twenty-one 
inches  in  length,  has  a  shorter  and  more  natural  looking  head, 
and  fine  silky  fur.  It  usually  lives  in  trees." 

I  was  pleased  to  find  my  memory  served  me  so  well  on  this 
irabject,  as  it  interested  my  boy  amazingly  ;  and  occupied  us 
for  a  considerable  time  while  we  traveled  onward. 

Arriving  presently  at  a  grove  of  tall  trees,  with  very  strong, 
broad  thick  leaves,  we  paused  to  examine  them ;  they  bore  a 
round,  fig-like  fruit,  full  of  little  seeds  and  of  a  sour,  harsh  taste. 

Fritz  saw  some  gummy  resin  exuding  from  cracks  in  the 
bark,  and  it  reminded  him  of  the  boyish  delight  afforded  by 
collecting  gum  from  cherry-trees  at  home,  so  that  he  must 
needs  stop  to  scrape  off  as  much  as  he  could.  He  rejoined  me 
presently,  attempting  to  soften  what  he  had  collected  in  his 
hands  ;  but  finding  it  would  not  work  like  gum,  he  was  about 
!  to  fling  it  away,  when  he  suddenly  found  that  he  could 
Btretch  it  and  that  it  sprang  back  to  its  original  size. 

"  Oh,  father,  only  look  !  this  gum  is  quite  elastic  !  Can  it 
possibly  be  india-rubber  ?  " 

"  What !  "  cried  I ;  "  let  me  see  it !  a  valuable  discovery 
that  would  be,  indeed ;  and  I  do  believe  you  are  perfectly 
right !  " 

"  Why  would  it  be  so  very  valuable,  father?  "  inquired  Fritz. 
"I  have  only  seen  it  used  for  rubbing  out  pencil  marks." 

"  India-rubber, "  I  replied,  "  or,  more  properly,  caoutchouc, 
is  a  milky,  resinous  juice  which  flows  from  certain  trees  in  con» 
fiderable  quantities  when  the  stem  is  purposely  tapped.  These 


JQ6  WHB   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

trees  are  indigenous  to  the  South  American  countries  of  Brat 
ril,  Guiana,  and  Cayenne.  The  natives,  who  first  obtained  it, 
used  to  form  bottles  by  smearing  earthen  flasks  with  repeated 
coatings  of  the  gum  when  just  fresh  from  the  trees,  and  when 
hardened  and  sufficiently  thick,  they  broke  the  mold,  shook 
out  the  fragments,  and  hung  the  bottles  in  the  smoke,  when 
they  became  firmer  and  of  a  dark  color.  While  moist,  the 
gavages  were  in  the  habit  of  drawing  rude  figures  and  lines 
'on  the  resin  by  way  of  ornament ;  these  marks  you  may  have 
observed,  for  the  bottles  obtained  from  the  natives  by  the 
Spaniards  and  Portugese  have  for  years  been  brought  to  Eu« 
rope,  and  cut  into  portions  to  be  sold  for  use  in  drawing. 
Caoutchouc  can  be  put  to  many  uses,  and  I  am  delighted  to 
have  it  here,  as  we  shall,  I  hope,  be  able  to  make  it  into  differ- 
ent forms  ;  first  and  foremost,  I  shall  try  to  manufacture  boots 
and  shoes. " 

Soon  after  making  this  discovery,  we  reached  the  cocoa- 
nut  wood,  and  saw  the  bay  extending  before  us,  and  the  great 
promontory  we  called  Cape  Disappointment,  which  hitherto 
nad  always  bounded  our  excursions. 

In  passing  through  the  wood,  I  remarked  a  smaller  sort  of 
palm,  which,  among  its  grand  companions,  I  had  not  previously 
noticed.  One  of  these  had  been  broken  by  the  wind,  and  I 
saw  that  the  pith  had  a  peculiar  mealy  appearance,  and  I  felt 
convinced  that  this  was  the  world-renowned  sago-palm. 

In  the  pith  I  saw  some  fat  worms  or  maggots,  and  suddenly 
recollected  that  I  had  heard  of  them  before  as  feeding  on  the 
sago,  and  that  in  the  West  Indies  they  are  eaten  as  a  delicacy. 

I  felt  inclined  to  try  what  they  tasted  like ;  so  at  once 
kindling  a  fire,  and  placing  some  half-dozen,  sprinkled  with 
salt,  on  a  little  wooden  spit,  I  set  them  to  roast. 

Very  soon  rich  fat  began  to  drop  from  them,  and  they 
smelt  so  temptingly  good  that  all  repugnance  to  the  idea  of 
eating  worms  vanished  ;  and,  putting  one  like  a  pat  of  butter 
on  a  baked  potato,  I  boldly  swallowed  it  and  liked  it  so  much 
that  several  others  followed  in  the  same  way.  Fritz  also 
summoned  courage  to  partake  of  this  novel  food,  which  was 
a  savory  addition  to  our  dinner  of  baked  potatoes. 

Being  once  more  ready  to  start,  we  found  so  dense  a  thicket 
in  the  direct  route  that  we  turned  aside  without  attempting 
to  penetrate  it,  and  made  our  way  toward  the  sugar  brake 
near  Cape  Disappointment.  This  we  could  not  pass  without 
cutting  a  handsome  bundle  of  sugar-canes,  and  the  donkey 
oarried  that,  in  addition  to  the  bag  of  wax  berries. 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON.  107 

fn  time  we  reached  the  sledge  in  Calabash  Wood  :  th«  aea 
was  unloaded,  everything  placed  on  the  sledge,  and  our  patient 
beast  began  calmly  and  readily  to  drag  the  burden  he  had 
hitherto  borne  on  his  back. 

No  further  adventure  befell  us,  and  we  arrived  in  the  even- 
ing at  Falconhurst,  where  our  welcome  was  as  warm  as 
usual — all  we  had  to  tell  listened  to  with  the  greatest  interest, 
all  we  had  to  show  most  eagerly  examined,  the  pretty  green 
parroquet  enchanting  the  boys  most  particularly. 

An  excellent  supper  was  ready  for  us,  and  with  thankful 
hearts  we  enjoyed  it  together;  then,  ascending  to  our  tree- 
castle,  and  drawing  up  the  ladder  after  us  we  betook  our- 
selves to  the  repose  well  earned  and  greatly  needed  after  this 
fatiguing  day. 

The  idea  of  candle-making  seemed  to  have  taken  the  fancy 
of  all  the  boys  ;  and  next  morning  they  woke,  one  after  the 
other,  with  the  word  candle  on  their  lips.  When  they  were 
thoroughly  roused  they  continued  to  talk  cand  .es  ;  all  break- 
fast-time, candles  were  the  subject  of  conversation  ;  and  after 
breakfast  they  would  hear  of  nothing  else  but  jetting  to  work 
at  once  and  making  candles. 

"So  be  it,"  said  I ;  " let  us  become  chandlers." 

I  spoke  confidently,  but  to  tell  the  truth,  I  had  in  my  own 
mind  certain  misgivings  as  to  the  result  of  our  experiment. 
In  the  first  place,  I  knew  that  we  lacked  a  very  important 
ingredient — animal  fat,  which  is  necessary  to  make  candles 
burn  for  any  length  of  time  with  brilliancy.  Besides  this,  I 
rather  doubted  how  far  my  memory  would  recall  the  various 
operations  necessary  in  the  manufacture.  Of  all  this,  how- 
ever, I  said  nothing  ;  and  the  boys,  under  my  direction,  were 
soon  at  work.  We  first  picked  off  the  berries  and  threw  them 
into  a  large  shallow  iron  vessel  placed  on  the  fire.  The  green, 
sweet-scented  wax  was  rapidly  melted,  rising  to  the  surface 
of  the  juice  yielded  by  the  berries.  This  we  skimmed  off  and 
placed  in  a  separate  pot  by  the  fire,  ready  for  use  ;  repeating 
the  operation  several  times,  until  we  had  collected  sufficient 
liquid  wax  for  our  purpose.  I  then  took  the  wicks  my  wife 
had  prepared,  and  dipped  them  one  after  the  other  int6  the 
wax,  handing  them  as  I  did  so  to  Fritz,  who  hung  them  up 
on  a  bush  to  dry.  The  coating  they  thus  obtained  was  not 
very  thick  ;  but,  by  repeating  the  operation  several  times,  they 
at  length  assumed  very  fair  proportions,  and  became  real  sturdy 
candles.  Our  wax  being  at  an  end,  we  hung  these  in  a  cool, 
shady  place  to  harden  j  and  that  same  night  we  sat  up  liktj 


106  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOK 

civilized  beings  three  whole  hours  after  sunset,  and  Falcoifc 
hurst  was  for  tne  first  time  brilliantly  illuminated. 

We  were  all  delighted  with  the  success  of  our  experiment. 

"  You  are  indeed  clever,"  said  my  wife  ;  "  I  only  wish 
that  with  your  ingenuity  you  would  show  me  how  to  make 
butter.  Day  after  day  Ihave  the  annoyance  of  seeing  a  large 
supply  of  good  cream  go  bad  under  my  very  eyes,  simply 
because  I  have  no  use  to  which  to  put  it.  Invent  a  plan, 
please  do." 

"  I  think  that  perhaps  I  can  help  you,"  I  replied,  after  a  little 
consideration  ;  "  not  that  I  can  claim  the  honor  of  the  inven- 
tion of  my  plan  ;  that  is  due  to  the  Hottentots.  I  will  see 
what  I  can  do.  Jack,  bring  me  one  of  our  gourd  bottles." 

I  took  the  gourd,  one  of  those  I  had  previously  prepared, 
with  a  small  hole  at  one  end  %nd  well  hollowed  out  and 
cleaned  ;  this  I  partially  filled  with  cream  and  then  corked 
up  the  hole  tightly. 

"  Here  boys."  said  I,  "you  can  continue  the  operation,  while 
I  turn  carpenter  and  make  a  cart  to  take  the  place  of  our 
sledge." 

I  gave  them  their  directions,  and  then  set  about  my  own 
work.  They  fixed  four  posts  in  the  ground,  and  to  them 
fastened  a  square  piece  of  sail-cloth  by  four  cords  attached  to 
the  corners.  In  this  cradle  they  placed  the  gourd  of  cream, 
and  each  taking  a  side  rolled  it  backward  and  forward  con- 
tinuously for  half  an  hour. 

"Now,"  I  cried,  looking  up  from  my  work,  "open  the 
gourd  and  take  the  contents  to  your  mother,  with  my  compli- 
ments." 

They  did  so  ;  and  my  good  wife's  eyes  were  delighted  with 
the  sight  of  a  large  lump  of  capital  fresh  butter. 

With  iry  son's  assistance  the  cart  was  in  time  completed  ; 
a  clumsy  vehicle  it  was,  but  strong  enough  for  any  purpose  to 
which  we  might  put  it,  and,  as  it  proved,  of  immense  use  to 
as  in  collecting  the  harvest. 

We  then  turned  our  attention  to  our  fruit-trees,  which  we 
had  planted  in  a  plot  ready  for  transplanting.  The  walnut, 
cherry,  and  chestnut  trees  we  arranged  in  parallel  rows,  so  ae 
to  form  a  shady  avenue  from  Falconhurst  to  Family-bridge  ; 
and  between  them  we  laid  down  a  tolerable  road,  that  we 
might  have  no  difficulty  in  reaching  Tentholm,  be  the  weather 
bad  as  it  might.  We  planted  the  vines  round  the  arched 
roots  of  our  great  mangrove,  and  the  rest  of  the  trees  in  suita- 
ble spots  ;  some  near  Falconhurst,  and  others  away  over 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSON.  109 

Jackal  River,  to  adorn  Tentholm.  Tentholm  had  been  the 
subject  of  serious  thoughts  to  me  for  some  time  past,  and  I 
now  turned  all  my  attention  thither.  It  was  not  my  ambition 
to  make  it  beautiful,  but  to  form  of  it  a  safe  place  of  refuge  in 
a  case  of  emergency.  My  first  care,  therefore,  was  to  plant  a 
thick,  prickly  hedge  capable  of  protecting  us  from  any  wild 
animal,  and  forming  a  tolerable  obstacle  to  the  attack  of  even 
savages,  should  they  appear.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  how- 
ever, we  fortified  the  bridge,  and  on  a  couple  of  hillocks 
mounted  two  guns  which  we  brought  from  the  wreck,  and 
with  whose  angry  mouths  we  might  bark  defiance  at  any 
enemy,  man  or  beast. 

Six  weeks  slipped  away  while  we  were  thus  busily  occu- 
pied, six  weeks  of  hard,  yet  pleasant,  labor.  We  greeted  each 
Sunday  and  its  accompanying  rest  most  gratefully,  and  on 
that  day  always,  especially  thanked  God  for  our  continued 
health  and  safety.  I  soon  saw  that  this  hard  work  was  de- 
veloping in  the  boys  remarkable  strength,  and  this  I  encour- 
aged by  making  them  practise  running,  leaping,  climbing,  and 
swimming  ;  I  also  saw,  however,  that  it  was  having  a  less  satis- 
factory effect  upon  their  clothes,  which,  though  a  short  time  be- 
fore remarkably  neat,  were  now,  in  spite  of  the  busy  mother's 
mending  and  patching,  most  untidy  and  disreputable.  I  de- 
termined, therefore,  to  pay  another  visit  to  the  wreck,  to  re- 
plenish our  wardrobe  and  to  see  how  much  longer  the  vessel 
was  likely  to  hold  together.  Three  of  the  boys  and  I  went 
off  in  the  pinnace.  The  old  ship  seemed  in  much  the  same 
condition  as  when  we  had  left  her  ;  a  few  more  planks  had 
gone,  but  that  was  all. 

"  Come,  boys,"  cried  I,  "  not  an  article  of  the  slightest  value 
must  be  left  on  board  ;  rummage  her  out  to  the  very  bottom 
of  her  hold." 

They  took  me  at  my  word  :  sailors'  chests,  bales  of  cloth 
and  linen,  a  couple  of  small  guns,  ball  and  shot,  tables,  benches .. 
window  shutters,  bolts  and  locks,  barrels  of  pitch,  all  were 
soon  in  a  heap  on  the  deck.  We  loaded  the  pinnace  and  wen* 
on  shore.  We  soon  returned  with  our  tub-boat  in  tow,  and' 
after  a  few  more  trips  nothing  was  left  on  board. 

"One  more  trip,"  said  I  to  my  wife,  before  we  started 
again,  "  and  there  will  be  the  end  of  the  brave  ship  which 
carried  us  from  Switzerland.  I  have  left  two  barrels  of  gun- 
powder on  board  and  mean  to  blow  her  up." 

Before  we  lighted  the  fusee,  I  discovered  a  large  'copp«r 
cauldron  which  I  thought  I  might  save.  I  made  fast  to  it  a 


110  THS   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOK. 

couple  of  empty  casks,  that  when  the  ship  went  up  it  might 
float.  The  barrels  were  placed,  the  train  lighted,  and  we  re- 
turned on  shore. 

The  supper  was  laid  outside  the  tent,  at  a  spot  from  whence 
we  might  obtain  a  good  view  of  the  wreck.  Darkness  came 
on.  Suddenly  a  vivid  pillar  of  fire  rose  from  the  black  waters, 
a  sullen  roar  boomed  a  cross  the  sea,  and  we  knew  that  our 
good  old  ship  was  no  more. 

We  had  planned  the  destruction  of  the  vessel;  we  knew  that 
it  was  for  the  best ;  and  yet  that  night  we  went  to  bed  with 
a  feeling  of  sadness  in  our  hearts,  as  though  we  had  lost  a  dear 
old  friend. 

Next  morning  all  our  sadness  was  dispelled,  and  it  was  with 
pleasure  that  we  saw  the  shore  lined  with  a  rich  store  of 
planks  and  beams,  the  remnants  of  the  wreck.  I  soon  found, 
too,  the  copper  cauldron  which  was  successfully  floated  by  the 
casks  ;  this  I  got  on  shore,  and  hauling  it  up  among  the  rocks, 
stored  under  it  the  powder  casks  we  had  landed  the  day 
before.  Collecting  all  these  valuables  gave  us  some  little 
trouble,  and  while  we  were  thus  engaged  my  wife  brought  us 
good  news.  She  had  discovered  that  two  ducks  and  a  goose 
had  each  reared  a  large  family  among  the  reeds  by  the  river  ; 
and  they  presently  appeared  waddling  past  us,  apparently 
vastly  well-pleased  with  their  performance.  We  greeted  them 
joyfully. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  cried  Ernest,  "  we'll  be  able  to  afford  duck  and 
green  peas  some  day  soon,  and  imagine  we're  once  more 
civilized  mortals." 

The  sight  of  these  birds  reminded  me  of  our  family  at  Fal- 
conhurst,  and  I  announced  my  intention  of  paying  them  a 
visit. 

Everyone  was  delighted  and  everyone  would  come  with  me. 
As  we  approached  Falconhurst  I  noticed  that  several  young 
trees  in  our  avenue  were  considerably  bent  by  the  wind,  and 
this  resolved  me  to  make  an  expedition  next  day  to  cut  bam- 
boos for  their  support.  As  Fritz  was  the  only  one  besides 
myself  who  had  visited  Cape  Disappointment  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  my  wife  and  the  younger  boys  begged  hard 
to  be  allowed  to  accompany  me.  I  consented ;  and  next 
morning  we  started,  bringing  with  us  the  cart,  drawn  by  the 
cow  and  ass,  and  laden  with  everything  necessary  for  an  ex- 
pedition of  several  days — a  tent,  provisions,  a  large  supply  of 
ammunition,  and  all  sorts  of  implements  and  utensils  ;  for  I  in- 
tended to  make  a  great  collection  of  fruits  and  the  produce 


THB  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  Ill 

of  different  trees.  It  was  a  lovely  morning,  and  passing  gayly 
through  the  plantations  of  potatoes,  manioc,  and  cassavas,  we 
came  to  the  nests  of  the  sociable  grosbeak,  the  sight  of  which 
charmed  the  children  immensely. 

We  reached  the  wax  trees,  and  there  I  called  a  halt,  for  I 
wished  to  gather  a  sack  or  two  of  the  berries  that  we  might 
renew  our  stock  of  candles.  The  berries  were  soon  plucked  ; 
and  I  stored  them  away  among  the  bushes,  marking  the  spot 
that  we  might  find  them  on  our  return. 

"  Now  for  the  caoutchouc  tree,"  said  I ;  "  now  for  the 
waterproof  boots  and  leggings  to  keep  your  feet  dry,  Ernest." 
To  the  caoutchouc  tree  we  directed  our  steps,  and  were  soon 
busily  engaged  in  stabbing  the  bark  and  placing  vessels  be- 
neath to  catch  the  sap.  We  again  moved  forward  ;  and, 
crossing  the  palm  wood,  entered  upon  a  delightful  plain 
bounded  on  one  side  by  an  extensive  field  of  waving  sugar- 
cane, on  the  other  by  a  thicket  of  bamboos  and  lovely  palms, 
while  in  front  stretched  the  shining  sea,  calm  and  noiseless. 

"  How  beautiful !  "  exclaimed  Jack,  "  let  us  pitch  our  tent 
here  and  stay  here  always  instead  of  living  at  Falconhurst. 
It  would  be  jolly." 

"  Very  likely,"  replied  I,  "  and  so  would  be  the  attacks  of 
wild  beasts  ;  imagine  a  great  tiger  lying  in  wait  in  the  thicket 
yonder,  and  pouncing  out  on  us  at  night.  No,  no,  thank  you, 
I  much  prefer  our  nest  in  the  tree,  or  our  impregnable  position 
at  Tentholm.  We  must  make  this  our  headquarters  for  the 
present,  however ;  for,  though  perhaps  dangerous,  it  is  the 
most  convenient  spot  we  shall  find.  Call  a  halt  and  pitch  the 
tent." 

Our  beasts  were  quickly  unyoked,  the  tent  arranged,  a  large 
fire  lit,  supper  started,  and  we  dispersed  in  various  direc- 
tions, some  to  cut  bamboos,  and  some  to  collect  sugar-cane. 
We  then  returned  ;  and,  as  supper  was  still  not  ready  and  the 
boys  were  hungry,  they  decided  to  obtain  some  cocoanuts. 
This  time,  however,  no  assistance  was  to  be  had  from  either 
monkeys  or  land-crabs,  and  they  gazed  up  with  longing  eyes 
at  the  fruit  above  them. 

"  We  can  climb,"  said  Fritz,  "  up  with  you,  boys." 

Jack  and  he  each  rushed  at  one  of  the  smooth,  slippery  trunks  ; 
right  vigorously  they  struggled  upward,  but  to  no  purpose; 
before  they  had  accomplished  one-quarter  of  the  distance  they 
found  themselves  slipping  rapidly  to  the  ground. 

"  Here,  you  young  athletes,"  cried  I,  "  I  foresaw  this  diffi- 
culty, and  have  provided  for  it."  So  saying  I  held  up  bui- 


IIS  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBLNSON. 

kins  of  shark's  skin  which  I  had  previously  prepared,  ana 
which  I  now  bound  on  to  their  legs.  Thus  equipped  they  again 
attempted  the  ascent,  and  with  a  loop  of  rope  passed  round 
their  body  and  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  quickly  reached  the 
summit.  My  wife  joined  me,  and  together  we  watched  the 
boys  as  they  ascended  tree  after  tree,  throwing  down  the  best 
fruit  from  each. 

They  then  returned  and  jestingly  begged  Ernest  to  produce 
the  result  of  his  labor.  The  professor  had  been  lying  on  the 
grass  gazing  at  the  palms  ;  but,  on  this  sarcastic  remark,  he 
sprang  to  his  feet.  "  Willingly,"  he  exclaimed,  and  seizing  a 
pair  of  buskins  he  quickly  donned  them.  "  Give  me  a  cocoanut 
shell,"  said  he.  I  gave  him  one,  and  he  put  it  in  his  pocket. 
He  ran  to  a  tree,  and,  with  an  agility  which  surprised  us  all, 
quickly  reached  the  top.  No  sooner  had  he  done  so  than 
Frita  and  Jack  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter.  He  had  swarmed 
a  tree  which  bore  no  nuts.  Ernest  apparently  heard  them  ; 
for,  as  it  seemed  in  a  fit  of  anger,  he  drew  his  knife  and  severed 
the  leafy  crest,  which  fell  to  the  ground.  I  glanced  up  at 
him,  surprised  at  such  a  display  of  temper.  But  a  bright 
smile  greeted  me,  and  in  a  merry  tone  he  shouted  : 

*'  Jack,  pick  that  palm-cabbage  up  and  take  it  to  father ; 
that  is  only  half  my  contribution,  and  it  is  worth  all  your  nuts 
put  together." 

He  spoke  truly ;  the  cabbage  palm  is  rare,  and  the  tuft  of 
leaves  at  its  summit  is  greatly  prized  by  the  South  Americans 
for  its  great  delicacy  and  highly  nutritive  qualities. 

"  Bravo  !  "  I  cried,  "  you  have  retrieved  your  character ; 
come  down  and  receive  the  thanks  of  the  company.  What  are 
you  waiting  up  there  for  ?  " 

"  I  am  coming  presently,"  he  replied,  "  with  the  second  half 
of  my  contribution  ;  I  hope  it  will  be  as  fully  appreciated  as* 
the  first." 

In  a  short  time  he  slipped  down  the  tree,  and,  advancing  to 
his  mother,  presented  her  with  the  nutshell  he  had  taken  up 
with  him. 

"  Here,"  he  said,  "  is  a  wine  which  the  greatest  connoisseur 
would  prize.  Taste  it,  mother." 

The  shell  was  filled  with  a  clear,  rosy  liquor,  bright  and 
sparkling.  My  wife  tasted  it.  "Excellent,  excellent,"  she 
exclaimed.  "  Your  very  good  health,  my  dear  boy  !  " 

We  drank  the  rosy  wine  in  turn,  and  Ernest  received  hearty 
thanks  from  all. 

It  was  getting  late,  and  while  we  were  enjoying  our  supper 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOEIKSOtf.  11$ 

before  our  tent,  our  donkey,  who  had  been  quietly  browsing 
near  us,  suddenly  set  up  a  loud  bray,  and,  without  the  least 
apparent  cause,  pricked  up  his  ears,  threw  up  his  heels,  and 
galloped  off  into  the  thicket  of  bamboos.  We  followed  for  a 
short  distance,  and  I  sent  the  dogs  in  chase,  but  they  returned 
without  our  friend,  and,  as  it  was  late,  we  were  obliged  to 
abandon  the  chase. 

I  was  annoyed  by  this  incident,  and  even  alarmed  ;  for  not 
only  had  we  lost  the  ass,  but  I  knew  not  what  had  occa* 
•ioned  his  sudden  flight.  I  knew  not  whether  he  was  aware, 
by  instinct,  of  the  approach  of  some  fierce  wild  beast.  I  said 
nothing  of  this  to  my  family,  but,  making  up  an  unusually 
large  fire,  I  bade  them  sleep  with  their  arms  by  their  sidea, 
and  we  all  lay  down. 

A  bright  morning  awoke  us  early,  and  I  rose  and  looked 
out,  thinking  that  perhaps  our  poor  donkey  might  have  been 
attracted  by  the  light  of  the  fires,  and  have  returned.  Alas ! 
not  a  sign  of  him  was  to  be  seen.  As  we  could  not  afford  to 
lose  so  valuable  a  beast,  I  determined  to  leave  no  attempt  un- 
tried to  regain  him.  We  hurriedly  breakfasted,  and,  as  I 
required  the  does  to  assist  me  in  the  search,  I  left  my  elder 
sons  to  protect  their  mother,  and  bade  Jack  get  ready  for 
a  day's  march.  This  arrangement  delighted  him,  and  we 
quickly  set  out. 

For  an  hour  or  more  we  trudged  onward,  directed  by  the 
print  of  the  ass's  hoofs.  Sometimes  we  lost  the  track  for 
a  while,  and  then  again  discovered  it  as  we  reached  softer 
«oil.  Finally  this  guide  failed  us  altogether,  for  the  donkey 
seemed  to  have  joined  in  with  a  herd  of  some  larger  animals, 
with  whose  hoof -prints  his  had  mingled.  I  now  almost  turned 
back  in  despair,  but  Jack  urged  me  to  continue  the  search  ; 
"For,"  said  he,  "  if  we  once  get  upon  a  hill  we  shall  see  such 
a  large  herd,  as  this  must  be,  at  almost  any  distance.  Do  let 
us  go  on,  father." 

I  consented,  and  we  again  pushed  forward,  through  bushes, 
and  over  torrents,  sometimes  cutting  our  way  with  an  ax, 
and  sometimes  plunging  knee-deep  through  a  swamp.  We  at 
length  reached  the  border  of  a  wide  plain,  and  on  it,  in  the 
distance,  I  could  see  a  herd  of  animals  browsing  on  the  rich 
grass.  It  struck  me  that  it  might  be  the  very  herd  to  which 
our  good  donkey  had  joined  himself  ;  and,  wishing  to  ascer- 
tain whether  this  was  so,  I  resolved  to  make  a  detour  through 
a  bamboo  marsh,  and  get  as  near  as  possible  to  the  animals 
without  disturbing  tii«d»  '^he  bamboos  were  huge,  many  of 


114  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBINBON. 

them  over  thirty  feet  in  height ;  and,  as  we  made  our  way 
through  them,  I  remembered  an  account  of  the  giant  cane  of 
South  America,  which  is  greatly  prized  by  the  Indians  on  ac- 
count of  its  extreme  usefulness ;  the  reeds  themselves  make 
masts  for  their  canoes,  while  each  joint  will  form  a  cask  or 
box.  I  was  delighted,  for  I  had  little  doubt  that  the  bamboos 
we  were  among  were  of  the  same  species.  I  explained  this  to 
Jack,  and  as  we  discussed  the  possibility  of  cutting  one  down 
and  carrying  a  portion  of  it  home,  we  reached  the  border  of 
the  marsh,  and  emerged  upon  the  plain.  There  we  suddenly 
found  ourselves  face  to  face  with  the  herd  which  we  sought — 
a  herd  of  buffaloes.  They  looked  up  and  stared  at  us  inquisi- 
tively, but  without  moving.  Jack  would  have  fired,  but  I 
checked  him.  "  Back  to  the  thicket,"  I  said,  "  and  keep  back 
the  dogs  1" 

We  began  to  retreat,  but  before  we  were  again  under  cover 
the  dogs  joined  us ;  and,  in  spite  of  our  shouts  and  efforts  to 
restrain  them,  they  dashed  forward  and  seized  a  buffalo  calf. 
This  was  a  signal  to  the  whole  herd  to  attack  us.  They  bel- 
lowed loudly,  pawed  the  ground,  and  tore  it  up  with  their 
horns,  and  then  dashed  madly  toward  us.  We  had  not  time 
to  step  behind  a  rock  before  the  leader  was  upon  us.  So  close 
was  he  that  my  gun  was  useless.  I  drew  a  pistol  and  fired. 
He  fell  dead  at  my  feet.  His  fall  checked  the  advance  of  the 
rest.  They  halted,  snuffed  the  air,  turned  tail,  and  galloped 
off  across  the  plain.  They  were  gone,  but  the  dogs  still  held 
gallantly  to  the  calf.  They  dragged  and  tussled  with  him, 
but  with  their  utmost  efforts  they  could  not  bring  him  to  the 
ground.  How  to  assist  them  without  shooting  the  poor  beast 
I  knew  not ;  and  this  I  was  unwilling  to  do,  for  I  hoped  that, 
if  we  could  but  capture  him  alive,  we  might  in  time  manage 
to  tame  him,  and  use  him  as  a  beast  of  burden.  Jack's  clever 
little  head,  however,  suddenly  devised  a  plan  for  their  aid,  and 
with  his  usual  promptitude,  he  at  once  put  it  into  execution. 
He  unwound  the  lasso,  which  was  coiled  round  his  body,  and, 
as  the  young  bull  flung  up  his  heels,  he  cast  it  and  caught  him 
by  his  hind  legs.  The  noose  drew  tight,  and  in  a  twinkling 
the  beast  was  upon  the  ground.  We  fastened  the  other  end 
of  the  cord  round  a  stout  bamboo,  called  off  the  dogs,  and  the 
animal  was  at  our  mercy. 

"  Now  we  have  got  him,"  said  Jack,  as  he  looked  at  th« 
poor  beast,  lying  panting  on  the  ground,  "  what  are  we  to  do 
with  him  ?" 


THK   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON.  11* 

**I  will  show  you,"  said  I ;  "  help  me  to  fasten  his  fore-lega 
together,  and  you  shall  see  the  next  operation." 

The  bull,  thus  secured,  could  not  move  ;  and  while  Jack 
held  his  head  I  drew  my  knife  and  pierced  the  cartilage  of  his 
nose,  and  when  the  blood  flowed  less  freely,  passed  a  stout 
cord  through  the  hole.  I  felt  some  repugnance  at  thus  pain- 
ing the  animal,  but  it  was  a  case  of  necessity,  and  I  could  not 
hesitate.  We  united  the  ends  of  the  cord,  freed  the  animal, 
set  him  upon  his  legs,  and,  subdued  and  overawed,  he  followed 
us  without  resistance.  I  now  turned  my  attention  to  the  dead 
buffalo,  but  as  I  could  not  then  skin  it,  I  contented  myself 
with  cutting  off  the  most  delicate  parts,  its  tongue,  and  a 
•ouple  of  steaks,  and,  packing  them  in  salt  in  my  wallet,  aban- 
doned the  rest  to  the  dogs.  They  fell  upon  it  greedily,  and 
we  retired  under  the  shade  to  enjoy  a  meal  after  our  hard 
work.  The  dogs,  however,  were  not  to  have  undisputed  pos- 
session of  the  carcass  ;  vultures,  crows,  and  other  birds  of  prey, 
with  that  marvelous  instinct  which  always  leads  them  to  a 
dead  body,  quickly  filled  the  air,  and,  with  discordant  cries, 
swooped  down  upon  the  buffalo.  An  amusing  contest  ensued  ; 
the  dogs  again  and  again  drove  off  the  intruders,  and  they,  aa 
often,  returned  re-enforced  by  others  who  swarmed  to  the  spot. 
Jack,  with  his  usual  impetuosity,  wished  to  send  a  shot  in 
among  the  robber  band,  but  I  prevented  him,  for  I  knew 
that  the  bird  or  two  he  might  kill  would  be  of  no  use  to  us, 
while  his  shot  would  not  drive  away  the  rest,  even  had  we 
wished  it.  Both  we  and  the  dogs  were  at  length  satisfied, 
and  as  it  was  getting  late,  I  determined  to  give  up  for  the  pres- 
ent the  search  for  the  ass,  and  to  return  to  our  camp.  We 
again  made  our  way  through  the  bamboos,  but  before  we  left 
the  thicket  I  cut  down  one  of  the  smallest  of  the  reeds,  the 
largest  of  whose  joints  would  form  capital  little  barrels,  while 
those  near  the  tapering  top  would  serve  as  molds  for  our  next 
batch  of  candles. 

The  buffalo,  with  a  dog  on  either  side  and  the  rope  through 
his  nose,  was  following  us  passively,  and  we  presently  induced 
him.  to  submit  to  a  package  of  our  goods  laid  upon  his  back. 
"We  pushed  rapidly  forward,  Jack  eager  to  display  our  latest 
acquisition.  As  we  repassed  the  rocky  bed  of  a  stream  we  had 
crossed  in  the  morning,  Juno  dashed  ahead,  and  was  about  to 
rush  into  a  cleft  between  the  rocks,  when  the  appearance  of 
a  large  jackal  suddenly  checked  her  further  progress.  Both 
dogs  instantly  flew  at  the  animal,  and  though  she  fought  dee- 


116  THK   SWISS  VAMILT   KOB1NSO2T.     ' 

perately,  quickly  overpowered  and  throttled  her.  "From  the 
way  the  beast  had  shown  fight,  I  concluded  that  her  young 
must  be  close  by,  probably  within  the  very  cleft  Juno  was 
about  to  enter. 

Directly  Jack  heard  this,  he  wished  to  creep  in  and  bring 
out  the  young  jackals.  I  hesitated  to  allow  him  to  do  so,  for 
I  thought  it  possible  that  the  male  jackal  might  be  still  lying 
in  wait  within  the  cave.  We  peered  into  the  darkness,  and, 
after  a  while,  Jack  declared  he  could  discern  the  little  yellow 

gckals,  and  that  he  was  quite  sure  the  old  one  was  not  there, 
e  then  crept  in,  followed  closely  by  the  dogs,  and  presently 
emerged,  bearing  in  his  arms  a  handsome  cub  of  a  beautiful 
golden  yellow  and  about  the  size  of  a  email  cat.  He  was  the 
only  one  of  the  brood  he  had  managed  to  save,  for  Turk  and 
Juno,  without  pity  for  their  youth  or  beauty,  had  worried  all 
the  rest.  I  did  not  much  regret  this,  however,  for  I  firmly 
believe  that,  had  he  saved  them,  Jack  would  have  insisted  upon 
bringing  up  the  whole  litter.  As  it  was,  I  considered  that  one 
jackal  was,  with  our  young  bull,  quite  sufficient  an  addition  to 
our  livestock. 

During  the  halt  we  had  made  I  had  fastened  the  buffalo  to  a 
small  tree,  and  as  I  was  now  agdin  about  to  move  on,  I  recog- 
nized it  as  the  dwarf -palm,  whose  long,  sharp  leaves  form  an 
excellent  barrier  if  it  is  planted  as  a  hedge.  I  determined  to 
return  and  get  some  young  plants  to  strengthen  our  hedge  at 
Tentholm.  It  was  late  before  we  reached  our  camp,  where 
we  found  our  family  anxiously  awaiting  our  return. 

The  sight  of  the  new  animals  delighted  the  children  im« 
mensely,  and  in  their  opinion  amply  compensated  for  the  loss 
of  our  poor  donkey.  Jack  had  to  answer  a  host  of  questions 
concerning  their  capture,  and  to  give  a  minute  account  of  the 
affray  with  the  buffaloes.  This  he  did,  with  graphic  power 
certainly,  but  with  so  much  boasting  and  self-glorification  that 
I  was  obliged  to  check  him,  and  give  a  plain  and  unvarnished 
account  of  the  affair. 

Suppertime  arrived,  and  as  we  sat  at  that  meal,  for  which 
Jack  and  I  were  heartily  thankful,  my  wife  and  her  party  pro- 
ceeded to  give  an  account  of  their  day's  work. 

Ernest  had  discovered  a  sago-palm,  and  had,  after  muofc 
labor,  contrived  to  fell  it.  Franz  and  his  mother  had  collected 
dry  wood,  of  which  a  huge  heap  now  stood  before  the  tent, 
sufficient  to  keep  up  a  fire  all  the  rest  of  the  time  we  should 
stay  on  the  spot.  Fritz  had  gone  off  shooting  and  had  secured 
a  good  bag.  While  the,y  had  been  thus  variously  employed,  £ 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOIT. 

troop  of  apes  had  visited  the  tent,  and  when  they  returned, 
they  found  the  place  ransacked  and  turned  upside  down.  The 
provisions  were  eaten  and  gnawed,  the  potatoes  thrown  about, 
the  milk  drunk  and  spilt ;  every  box  had  been  peeped  into,  every 
pot  and  pan  had  been  divested  of  its  lid  ;  the  palisade  round 
the  hut  had  been  partly  destroyed,  nothing  had  been  left  un- 
touched. Industriously  had  the  boys  worked  to  repair  the 
damage,  and  when  we  returned  not  a  sign  was  to  be  seen  of  the 
disorder.  No  one  would  have  guessed  what  had  occurred  from 
the  delicious  supper  we  were  eating. 

After  matters  had  been  again  arranged,  Fritz  had  gone  down 
to  the  shore,  and,  among  the  rocks  at  Cape  Disappointment, 
had  discovered  a  young  eaglet  which  Ernest  declared  to  be  a 
Malabar  or  Indian  eagle  ;  he  was  much  pleased  with  his  dis- 
covery, and  I  recommended  him  to  bring  the  bird  up  and  try 
to  train  it  to  hunt  as  a  falcon. 

"  Look  here,  though,  boys,"  said  I,  "  you  are  now  collecting 
a  good  many  pets,  and  I  am  not  going  to  have  your  mother 
troubled  with  the  care  of  them  all ;  each  must  look  after  his 
own,  and  if  I  find  one  neglected,  whether  beast  or  bird,  I  set 
it  at  liberty.  Mark  that  and  remember  it  1 " 

My  wife  looked  greatly  relieved  at  this  announcement, 
and  the  boys  promised  to  obey  my  directions.  Before  we  re- 
tired for  the  night  I  prepared  the  buffalo  meat  I  had  brought. 
I  lit  a  large  fire  of  green  wood,  and  in  the  smoke  of  this 
thoroughly  dried  both  the  tongue  and  steaks.  We  then 
properly  secured  all  the  animals,  Jack  took  his  little  pet  in  his 
arms,  and  we  lay  down  and  were  soon  fast  asleep. 

At  daybreak  we  were  on  foot,  and  began  to  prepare  for  a 
return  to  Falconhurst. 

"You  are  not  going  to   despise  my  sago,  I  hope,"  said 
"Ernest ;  "  you  have  no  idea  what  a  trouble  it  was  to  cut  it 
down,  and  I  have  been  thinking  too,  that,  if  we  could  but  split . 
the  tree,  we  might  make  a  couple  of  long  useful  troughs,  which  j 
might,  I  think,  be  made  to  carry  water  from  Jackal  River  to 
Tentholm.     Is  my  plan  worth  consideration  ?  " 

"  Indeed  it  is,"  I  replied  ;  "  and  at  all  events  we  must  not 
abandon  such  a  valuable  prize  as  a  sago  palm.  I  would  pot 
off  our  departure  for  a  day  rather  than  leave  it  behind." 

We  went  to  the  palm,  and  with  the  tools  we  had  with  us 
attempted  to  split  the  trunk.  We  first  sawed  off  the  upper 
end,  and  then  with  an  ax  and  saw  managed  to  insert  a  wedge. 
This  accomplished,  our  task  was  less  difficult,  for  with  a  heavy 
mallet  we  forced  the  wedge  in  further  and  further,  until  at 


118  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  BOBINSOV. 

length  the  trunk  was  split  in  twain.  From  one  half  of 
trunk  we  then  removed  the  pith,  disengaging  it,  with  difficulty, 
from  the  tough  wood  fibers  ;  at  each  end,  however,  I  left  a 
portion  of  the  pith  untouched,  thus  forming  a  trough  in  which 
to  work  the  sago. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  I,  when  we  had  removed  the  pith  from 
the  other  half  of  the  trunk,  "  off  with  your  coats  and  turn  up 
your  shirt-sleeves  ;  I  am  going  to  teach  you  to  knead." 

They  were  all  delighted,  and  even  little  Franz  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  help.  Ernest  brought  a  couple  of  pitchers  of  water, 
and  throwing  it  in  amongst  the  pith,  we  set  to  work  right 
heartily.  As  the  dough  was  formed  and  properly  kneaded,  I 
handed  it  to  the  mother,  who  spread  it  out  on  a  cloth  in  the 
sun  to  dry.  This  new  occupation  kept  us  busy  until  the  even- 
ing, and  when  it  was  at  length  completed  we  loaded  the  cart 
with  the  sago,  a  store  of  cocoanuts,  and  our  other  possessions, 
that  we  might  be  ready  to  start  early  on  the  following  morn- 
ing. As  the  sun  rose  above  the  horizon,  we  packed  up  our 
tent  and  set  forth,  a  goodly  caravan.  I  thought  it  unfair  to 
the  cow  to  make  her  drag  such  a  load  as  we  now  had  alone, 
and  determined"  if  possible  to  make  the  young  buffalo  take  the 
place  of  our  lost  donkey  :  after  some  persuasion  he  consented, 
and  soon  put  his  strength  to  the  work  and  brought  the  cart 
along  famously.  As  we  had  the  trough  slung  under  the  cart 
we  had  to  choose  the  clearest  possible  route,  avoiding  anything 
like  a  thicket ;  we,  therefore,  could  not  pass  directly  by  the 
candleberry  and  caoutchouc  trees,  and  I  sent  Ernest  and  Jack 
aside  to  visit  the  store  we  had  made  on  our  outward  journey. 

They  had  not  long  been  gone  when  I  was  alarmed  by  a  most 
terrible  noise,  accompanied  by  the  furious  barking  of  the  dogs 
and  shouts  from  Jack  and  Ernest.  Thinking  that  the  boys 
had  been  attacked  by  some  wild  beasts,  I  ran  to  their  assist- 
ance. A  most  ludicrous  scene  awaited  me  when  I  reached  the 
spot.  They  were  dancing  and  shouting  round  and  round  a 
grassy  glade,  and  I  as  nearly  as  possible  followed  their  exam- 
ple, for  in  the  center,  surrounded  by  a  promising  litter,  lay  out 
/old  sow,  whose  squeals,  previously  so  alarming,  were  now  sub- 
siding into  comfortable  grunts  of  recognition.  I  did  not  joia 
my  boys  in  their  triumphal  dance,  but  I  was  nevertheless  very 
much  pleased  at  the  sight  of  the  flourishing  family,  and  imme- 
diately returned  to  the  cart  to  obtain  biscuits  and  potatoes  for 
the  benefit  of  the  happy  mother.  Jack  and  Ernest  meanwhile 
pushed  further  on  and  brought  back  the  sack  of  candleberries 
and  the  caoutchouc,  and  as  we  could  not  then  take  the  sow 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  119 

x.lth  us,  we  left  her  alone  with  her  family  and  proceeded  to 
Falconhurst. 

The  animals  were  delighted  to  see  us  back  again,  and  re- 
ceived us  with  manifestations  of  joy,  but  looked  askance  at 
the  new  pets.  The  eagle  especially  came  in  for  shy  glances, 
and  promised  to  be  no  favorite.  Fritz,  however,  determined 
that  his  pet  should  at  present  do  no  harm,  secured  him  by  the 
leg  to  a  root  of  a  fig  tree  and  uncovered  his  eyes.  In  a 
moment  the  aspect  of  the  bird  was  changed  ;  with  his  sight 
returned  all  his  savage  instincts,  he  flapped  his  wings,  raised 
his  iiiead,  darted  to  the  full  length  of  his  chain,  and  before 
anyone  could  prevent  him  seized  the  unfortunate  parrot,  which 
stood  near,  and  tore  it  to  pieces.  Fritz's  anger  rose  at  the 
gight,  and  he  was  about  to  put  an  end  to  the  savage  bird. 

"  Stop,"  said  Ernest,  "  don't  kill  the  poor  creature,  he  is  but 
following  his  natural  instincts  ;  give  him  to  me,  and  I  will 
tame  him." 

Frita  hesitated.  "  No,  no,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  want  really  to 
kill  the  bird,  but  I  can't  give  him  up  ;  tell  me  how  to  tame 
him,  and  you  shall  have  Master  Knips." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Ernest,  "  I  will  tell  you  my  plan,  and 
if  it  succeeds,  I  will  accept  Knips  as  a  mark  of  your  gratitude. 
Take  a  pipe  and  tobacco,  and  send  the  smoke  all  around  his 
head,  so  that  he  must  inhale  it  ;  by  degrees  he  will  become 
stupified,  and  his  savage  nature  from  that  momen'  subdued." 

Fritz  was  rather  inclined  to  ridicule  the  plan,  b  it,  knowing 
that  Ernest  generally  had  a  good  reason  for  anything  of  the 
sort  that  he  proposed,  he  consented  to  make  the  attempt. 
He  soon  seated  himself  beneath  the  bird,  who  still  struggled 
furiously,  and  puffed  cloud  after  cloud  upward,  and  as  each 
cloud  circled  round  the  eagle's  head  he  became  quieter  and 
quieter,  until  he  sat  quite  still,  gazing  stupidly  at  the  young 
smoker. 

"  Capital  ! "  cried  Fritz,  as  he  hooded  the  bird,  "  eapitai, 
firnest ;  Knips  is  yours." 


190  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 


CHAPTER 

Prop  our  young  trees — A  lecture  on  grafting — A  new  idea  broached— 
Why  should  we  not  build  stairs  within  the  trunk  of  our  tree  ? — Jack 
finds  one  objection — I  make  a  beehive,  and  we  drive  the  bees  from 
the  tree — Stair-making — Additions  to  our  family  of  domestic  animals 
— The  education  of  the  "  pets  "— Shoemaking — We  lead  water  from 
the  stream  to  Falconhurst — A  strange  animal  approaches — Our  old 
ass  and  his  companion — The  onager  captured — Provisioning  our 
winter  quarters— Capture  of  ruffed  grouse— We  discover  flax—The 
rainy  season. 

NEXT  morning  the  boys  and  I  started  with  the  cart,  laden 
with  our  bundles  of  bamboos,  to  attend  to  the  avenue  of  fruit 
trees.  The  buffalo  we  left  behind,  for  his  services  were  not 
needed,  and  I  wished  the  wound  in  bis  nostrils  to  become  com- 
pletely cicatrized  before  I  again  put  him  to  work.  We  were 
not  a  moment  too  soon  ;  many  of  the  young  trees,  which  be- 
fore threatened  to  fall,  had  now  fulfilled  their  promise,  and 
Were  lying  prostrate  on  the  ground,  others  were  bent,  some 
few  only  remained  erect.  We  raised  the  trees,  and  digging 
deeply  at  their  roots,  drove  in  stout  bamboo  props,  to  wnicb 
we  lashed  them  firmly  with  strong  broad  fibers. 

"  Papa,"  said  Franz,  as  we  were  thus  engaged,  and  he  handed 
me  the  fibers  as  I  required  them,  "  are  these  wild  or  tamt 
trees?" 

"  Oh,  these  are  wild  trees,  most  ferocious  trees,"  laughed  Jack, 
"and  we  are  tying  them  up  lest  they  should  run  away,  and  in  a 
little  while  we  will  untie  tnem  and  they  will  trot  about  after  us 
and  give  us  fruit  wherever  we  go.  Oh,  we  will  tame  them  ; 
they  shall  have  a  ring  through  their  noses  like  the  buffalo  !  H 

"That's  not  true,"  replied  Franz  gravely,  "but  there  ar« 
wild  and  tame  trees,  the  wild  ones  grow  out  in  the  woods  like 
the  crab-apples,  and  the  tame  ones  in  the  garden  like  the  pears 
and  peaches  at  home.  Which  are  these,  papa  ?  " 

"  They  are  not  wild,"  I  replied,  "  but  grafted  or  cultivated, 
or,  as  you  call  them,  tame  trees.  No  European  tree  bears  good 
fruit  until  it  is  grafted  !  "  I  saw  a  puzzled  look  come  over 
the  little  boy's  face  as  he  heard  this  new  word,  aud  I  hastened 
to  explain  it.  "  Grafting,"  I  continued,  "  ie  the  process  of 
inserting  a  slip  or  twig  of  a  tree  into  what  is  called  an  eye  ; 
that  is,  a  knot  or  hole  in  the  branch  of  another.  This  twig  or 
slip  then  grows  and  produces,  not  such  fruit  as  the  original 
•took  would  have  borne,  but  such  as  the  tree  from  which  it 
Was  taken  would  have  produced.  Thus,  if  we  have  a  sour 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  121 

crab  tree,  and  an  apple  tree  bearing  fine  ribston  pippins,  we 
would  take  a  slip  of  the  latter,  insert  it  in  an  eye  of  the  former, 
and  in  a  year  or  two  the  branch  which  would  then  grow  would 
be  laden  with  good  apples." 

"But,"  asked  Ernest,  "where  did  the  slips  of  good  fruit 
trees  come  from,  if  none  grow  without  grafting?" 

"  From  foreign  countries,"  I  replied.  "  It  is  only  in  the  cold 
climate  of  our  part  of  the  world  that  they  require  this  grafting; 
in  many  parts  of  the  world,  in  more  southern  latitudes  than  ours, 
the  most  luscious  fruit  trees  are  indigenous  to  the  soil,  and 
flourish  and  bear  sweet,  wholesome  fruit,  without  the  slightest 
care  or  attention  being  bestowed  upon  them;  while  in  Eng- 
land and  Germany,  and  even  in  France,  these  same  trees  re- 
quire the  utmost  exertion  of  horticultural  skill  to  make  them 
bring  forth  any  fruit  whatever.  Thus,  when  the  Romans  in- 
vaded England  they  found  there  nothing  in  the  way  of  fruit 
trees  but  the  crab-apple,  nut  bushes,  and  bramble  bushes,  but 
by  grafting  on  these,  fine  apples,  filberts,  and  raspberries  were 
produced,  and  it  was  the  same  in  our  own  dear  Switzerland — 
all  our  fruit  trees  were  imported." 

"Were  cherries,  father?  May  we  not  even  call  cherries 
Swiss?  I  always  thought  they  grew  nowhere  else." 

*'I  am  afraid  we  cannot  even  claim  cherries  as  our  own, 
not  even  the  name  of  them;  they  are  called  cherries  from 
Cerasus,  a  state  of  Pontus,  in  Asia,  whence  they  were  brought 
to  Europe  by  Lucullus,  a  Roman  general,  about  seventy  years 
before  Christ.  Hazelnuts  also  came  from  Pontus;  walnuts, 
again,  came  originally  from  Persia.  As  for  grapes,  they  are 
of  the  greatest  antiquity.  We  hear,  if  you  remember,  of  Noah 
cultivating  vines,  and  they  have  been  brought  from  one  place 
to  another  until  they  now  are  to  be  found  in  most  parts  of  the 
civilized  world." 

"Do  you  think  all  these  trees  will  grow?"  asked  Fritz,  as 
we  crossed  Jackal  River  and  entered  our  plantation  at  Tent- 
holm:  "here  are  lemons,  pomegranates,  pistachio  nuts,  and 
mulberries." 

"I  have  little  doubt  of  it,"  I  replied,  "we  are  evidently 
within  the  tropics,  where  such  trees  as  these  are  sure  to  flourish. 
These  pines,  now,  come  from  France,  Spain,  and  Italy;  the 
olives  from  Armenia  and  Palestine;  the  figs  originally  from 
the  island  of  Chios;  the  peaches  and  apricots  from  Persia; 
plums  from  Damascus  in  Syria,  and  the  pears  of  all  sorts  from 
Greece.  However,  if  our  countries  have  not  been  blessed  in 
the  same  way  with  fruit,  we  have  been  given  wisdom  and  skill, 


CWIBS 

which  has  enabled  us  to  import  and  cultivate  the  trees  of  other 
lands." 

We  thus  talked  and  worked  until  every  tree  that  required 
the  treatment  was  provided  with  a  stout  bamboo  prop,  and 
then,  with  appetites  which  a  gourmand  might  well  have  envied, 
we  returned  to  Falconhurst.  I  think  the  good  mother  was 
almost  alarmed  at  the  way  we  fell  upon  the  corned  beef  and 
l>alm-cabbage  she  set  before  us,  but  at  length  these  good  things 
produced  the  desired  effect,  and  one  after  another  declared 
himself  satisfied.  As  we  sat  reclining  after  our  labor  and  di- 
gesting our  dinner,  we  discussed  the  various  projects  we  had 
in  contemplation.  "  I  wish,"  said  my  wife,  "  that  you  would 
invent  some  other  plan  for  climbing  to  the  nest  above  us  ;  I 
think  that  the  nest  itself  is  perfect — I  really  wish  for  nothing 
better,  but  I  should  like  to  be  able  to  get  to  it  without  scaling 
that  dreadful  ladder  every  time  ;  could  you  not  make  a  flight 
of  steps  to  reach  it  ?  " 

I  carefully  thought  over  the  project,  and  turned  over  every 
plan  for  its  accomplishment. 

"  It  would  be  impossible,  I  am  afraid,"  said  I,  "  to  make 
stairs  outside,  but  within  the  trunk  it  might  be  done.  More 
than  once  have  I  thought  that  this  trunk  might  be  hollow,  or 
partly  so,  and  if  such  be  the  case  our  task  would  be  compara- 
tively easy.  Did  you  not  tell  me  the  other  day  that  you 
noticed  bees  coming  from  a  hole  in  the  tree  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  little  Franz,  "  and  I  went  to  look  at  them 
and  one  flew  right  against  my  face  and  stung  me,  and  I  almost 
cried,  but  I  didn't." 

"  Brave  little  boy,"  said  I.  "  Well,  now,  if  the  trunk  be 
suificiently  hollow  to  contain  a  swarm  of  bees,  it  may  be,  for 
all  we  can  tell,  hollow  the  greater  part  of  its  length,  for  like 
the  wiulow  in  our  own  country  it  might  draw  all  its  nourish- 
ment through  the  bark,  and  in  spite  of  its  real  unsoundnesa 
retain  a  flourishing  appearance." 

Master  Jack,  practical  as  usual,  instantly  sprang  to  his  feet 
to  put  my  conjecture  to  the  proof.  The  rest  followed  his  ex- 
ample, and  they  were  all  soon  climbing  about  like  squirrels, 
peeping  into  the  hole,  and  tapping  the  wood  to  discover  by 
Bound  how  far  down  the  cavity  extended. 

They  forgot,  in  their  eagerness,  who  were  the  tenants  of 
this  interesting  trunk.  They  were  soon  reminded  of  it,  how- 
ever, for  the  bees,  disturbed  by  this  unusual  noise,  with  an 
angry  buzz  burst  out,  and  in  an  instant  attacked  the  causers  of 
tiie  annoyance  ;  they  swarmed  round  them,  stung  them  on  the 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  123 

hands,  face,  and  neck,  settled  in  their  hair,  and  pursued  them 
as  they  ran  to  me  for  assistance.  It  was  with  difficulty  that 
we  got  rid  of  the  angry  insects  and  were  able  to  attend  to  the 
boys.  Jack,  who  had  been  the  first  to  reach  the  hole,  had 
fared  the  worst,  and  was  soon  a  most  pitiable  sight,  his  face 
swelled  to  an  extraordinary  degree,  and  it  was  only  by  the  con- 
stant application  of  cold  earth  that  the  pain  was  alleviated. 
They  were  all  eager  to  commence  an  organized  attack  upon 
the  bees  at  once,  but  for  an  hour  or  more,  by  reason  of  theii 
pain,  they  were  unable  to  render  me  much  assistance.  In  the 
meanwhile  I  made  my  arrangements.  I  first  took  a  large 
calabash  gourd,  for  I  intended  to  make  a  beehive,  that,  when 
we  had  driven  the  insects  from  their  present  abode,  we  might 
not  lose  them  entirely.  The  lower  half  of  the  gourd  I  flattened, 
I  then  cut  an  arched  opening  in  the  front  for  a  doorway,  made 
a  straw  roof  as  a  protection  from  the  rain  and  heat,  and  the 
little  house  was  complete. 

Nothing  more,  however,  could  then  be  done,  for  the  irritated 
bees  were  still  angrily  buzzing  round  the  tree.  I  waited  till 
dark,  and  then,  when  all  the  bees  had  again  returned  to  their 
trunk,  with  Fritz's  assistance  I  carefully  stopped  up  every 
hole  in  the  tree  with  wet  clay,  that  the  bees  might  not  issue 
forth  next  morning  before  we  could  begin  operations.  Very 
early  were  we  up  and  at  work.  I  first  took  a  hollow  cane,  and 
inserted  one  end  through  the  clay  into  the  tree  ;  down  this 
tube  with  pipe  and  tobacco  I  smoked  most  furiously. 

The  humming  and  buzzing  that  went  on  within  was  tre- 
mendous ;  the  bees  evidently  could  not  understand  what  was 
going  to  happen.  I  finished  my  first  pipeful,  and  putting  my 
thumb  over  the  end  of  the  cane,  I  gave  the  pipe  to  Fritz  to 
refill.  He  did  so  and  I  again  smoked.  The  buzzing  was  now 
becoming  less  noisy,  and  was  subsiding  into  a  mere  murmur. 
By  the  time  I  had  finished  this  second  pipe  all  was  still ;  the 
bees  were  stupefied. 

"  Now  then,  Fritz,"  said  I,  "  quick,  with  a  hammer  and 
chisel,  and  stand  here  beside  me." 

He  was  up  in  a  moment,  and,  together,  we  cut  a  small  door 
by  the  side  of  the  hole  ;  this  door,  however,  we  did  not  take 
out,  but  we  left  It  attached  by  one  corner  that  it  might  be  re- 
moved at  a  moment's  notice  ;  then  giving  the  bees  a  final  dose 
of  tobacco  smoke,  we  opened  it. 

Carefully  but  rapidly  we  removed  the  insects,  as  they 
clung  in  clusters  to  the  sides  of  the  tree,  and  placed  them  in  the 
hive  prepared  for  their  reception.  As  rapidly  I  then  took 


134  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBIN8ON. 

every  atom  of  wax  and  honey  from  their  storehouse  and  put 
it  in  a  cask  I  had  made  ready  for  the  purpose. 

The  bees  were  now  safely  removed  from  the  trunk,  but  I 
could  not  tell  whether,  when  they  revived  from  their  tempo- 
rary  stupor,  they  might  not  refuse  to  occupy  the  house  with 
which  I  had  presented  them,  and  insist  on  returning  to  their 
old  quarters.  To  prevent  the  possibility  of  this  occurrence,  I 
took  a  quantity  of  tobacco,  and  placing  it  upon  a  board  nailed, 
horizontally  within  the  trunk,  I  lighted  it  and  allowed  it  to 
burn  slowly,  that  the  fumes  might  fill  the  cavity.  It  was  well 
I  did  so,  for,  as  the  bees  returned  to  consciousness,  they  left 
their  pretty  hive  and  buzzed  away  to  the  trunk  of  the  tree,. 
They  seemed  astonished  at  finding  this  uninhabitable,  and  an 
immense  deal  of  noisy  humming  ensued.  Round  and  round 
they  flew,  backward  and  forward  between  the  gourd  and  tree, 
now  settling  here  and  now  there,  until,  at  length,  after  due 
consideration,  they  took  possession  of  the  hive  and  abandoned 
their  former  habitation  to  us,  the  invaders  of  their  territory, 
By  the  evening  they  were  quite  quiet,  and  we  ventured  to 
cpen  the  cask  in  which  we  had  stored  our  plunder.  We  first 
separated  the  honey  from  the  honeycomb  and  poured  it  off 
into  jars  and  pots  ;  the  rest  we  then  took  and  threw  into  a 
vessel  of  water  placed  over  a  slow  fire.  It  soon  boiled  and  the 
entire  mass  became  fluid.  This  we  placed  in  a  clean  canvas 
bag,  and  subjected  to  a  heavy  pressure.  The  honey  was  thus 
soon  forced  cut,  and  we  stored  it  in  a  cask,  and,  though  not 
perhaps  quite  equal  to  the  former  batch  in  quality,  it  was  yet 
capital.  The  wax  that  remained  in  the  bag  I  also  carefully 
stored,  for  I  knew  it  would  be  of  great  use  to  me  in  the  manu- 
facture of  candles.  Then  after  a  hard  day's  work  we  turned  in. 

The  internal  architecture  of  the  tree  had  now  to  be  attened 
to,  and  early  the  following  morning  we  pi-epared  for  the  labor- 
ious task.  A  door  had  first  to  be  made,  so  at  the  base  of  the 
trunk  we  cut  away  the  bark  and  formed  an  opening  just  the 
size  of  the  door  we  had  brought  from  the  captain's  cabin,  and 
which,  hinges  and  all,  was  ready  to  be  hung.  The  clearing  of 
the  rotten  wood  from  the  center  of  the  trunk  occupied  us 
some  time,  but  at  length  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it 
entirely  accomplished,  and,  as  we  stood  below,  we  could  look 
up  the  trunk,  which  was  like  a  great  smooth  funnel,  and  see 
the  sky  above.  It  was  now  ready  for  the  staircase,  and  first 
we  erected  in  the  center  a  stout  sapling  to  form  an  axis  round 
which  to  build  the  spiral  stairs  ;  in  this  we  cut  notches  to  re- 
ceive the  steps,  and  corresponding  notches  in  the  tree  itself  to 


THE  SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON.  125 

enpport  the  outer  ends.  The  steps  themselves  we  formed 
carefully  and  neatly  of  planks  from  the  wreck,  and  clenched 
them  firmly  in  their  places  with  stout  nails.  Upward  and 
upward  we  built,  cutting  windows  in  the  trunk  as  we  re- 
quired, to  admit  light  and  air,  until  we  were  flush  with  the 
top  of  the  center  pole.  On  this  pole  we  erected  another  to 
reach  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  securing  it  firmly,  built  in  the 
same  way  round  it  until  we  at  length  reached  the  level  of  the 
floor  of  the  nest  above.  To  make  the  ascent  of  the  stairs  per- 
fectly easy  we  ran  a  hand-rail  on  either  side,  one  round  the 
center  pillar,  and  the  other  following  the  curve  of  the  trunk. 

This  task  occupied  us  a  whole  month,  and  by^  the  end  of 
that  period,  so  accustomed  had  we  become  to  having  a  definite 
piece  of  work  before  us  that  we  began  to  consider  what  other 
great  alteration  we  should  undertake.  We  were,  however,  of 
course  not  neglecting  the  details  of  our  colonial  establishment. 
There  were  all  the  animals  to  be  attended  to ;  the  goats  and 
sheep  had  both  presented  us  with  additions  to  our  flock,  and 
these  frisky  youngsters  had  to  be  seen  after  ;  to  prevent  them 
straying  to  any  great  distance — for  we  had  no  wish  to  lose 
them — we  tied  round  their  necks  little  bells,  which  we  had 
found  on  board  the  wreck,  and  which  would  assist  us  to  track 
them.  Juno,  too,  had  a  fine  litter  of  puppies,  but,  in  spite  of 
the  entreaties  of  the  children,  I  could  not  consent  to  keep 
more  than  two,  and  the  rest  disappeared  in  that  mysterious 
way  in  which  puppies  and  kittens  are  wont  to  leave  the  earth. 
To  console  the  mother,  as  he  said,  but  also,  I  suspect,  to  save 
himself  considerable  trouble,  Jack  placed  his  little  jackal  be- 
side the  remaining  puppies,  and,  to  his  joy,  found  it  readily 
adopted.  The  other  pets  were  also  flourishing,  and  were  be- 
ing usefully  trained.  The  buffalo,  after  giving  us  much  trou- 
ble, had  now  become  perfectly  domesticated,  and  was  a  very 
useful  beast  of  burden,  besides  being  a  capital  steed  for  the 
boys.  They  guided  him  by  a  bar  thrust  though  the  hole  in 
his  nose,  which  was  now  perfectly  healed,  and  this  served  the 
purpose  just  as  a  bit  in  the  mouth  of  a  horse.  I  began 
his  education  by  securing  round  him  a  broad  girth  of  buffalo 
hide-  and  fastening  to  it  various  articles,  to  accustom  him  to 
carrying  a  burden.  By  degrees  he  permitted  this  to  be  done 
without  making  the  slightest  resistance,  and  soon  carried  the 
paniers,  before  borne  by  the  ass,  readily  and  willingly. 

I  then  made  Master  Knips  sit  upon  his  back  and  hold  the  reins 
I  had  prepared  for  him,  that  the  animal  might  become  ac- 
customed to  the  feeling  of  a  ridei*  and  finally  allowed  Frit* 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBHrSOW. 

himself  to  mount.  The  education  of  the  eagle  was  not  neg* 
lected.  Fritz  every  day  shot  small  birds  for  his  food,  and 
these  he  placed,  sometimes  between  the  wide-spreading  horns 
of  the  buffalo  or  goat,  and,  sometimes  upon  the  back  of  the 
great  bustard,  that  he  might  become  accustomed  to  pounce 
upon  living  prey.  These  lessons  had  their  due  effect,  and  the 
bird,  having  been  taught  to  obey  the  voice  and  whistle  of  his 
master,  he  was  soon  allowed  to  bring  down  small  birds  upon 
the  wing,  when  he  stooped  and  struck  his  quarry  in  most  sports- 
manlike manner.  We  kept  him  well  away  from  the  poultry 
yard,  lest  his  natural  instincts  should  show  themselves  and  he 
should  put  an  untimely  end  to  some  of  our  feathered  pets. 

Neither  was  Master  fenipe  allowed  to  remain  Hie,  for  Ernest, 
now  that  he  was  in  his  possession,  wished  to  train  him  to  be  of 
some  use.  With  Jack's  help  he  made  a  little  basket  of  rushes, 
which  he  so  arranged  with  straps  that  it  might  be  easily  fitted 
on  to  the  monkey's  back.  Thus  equipped,  he  was  taught  to 
mount  cocoanut  palms  and  other  lofty  trees,  and  to  bring  down 
their  fruit  in  the  hamper. 

Jack  was  not  so  successful  in  his  educational  attempts. 
Fangs,  as  he  had  christened  his  jackal,  used  his  fangs,  indeed, 
but  only  on  his  own  account ;  nothing  could  persuade  him 
that  the  animals  he  caught  were  not  at  once  to  be  devoured, 
consequently  poor  Jack  was  never  able  to  save  from  his  jaws 
anything  but  the  tattered  skin  of  his  prey.  Not  disheartened, 
however,  he  determined  that  Fangs  could  be  trained,  and  that 
he  would  train  him. 

These,  and  such  like  employments,  afforded  us  the  rest  and 
recreation  we  required  while  engaged  in  the  laborious  task  of 
staircase  building. 

.  Among  minor  occupations,  I  applied  myself  to  the  improve- 
ment of  our  candles.  Though  the  former  batch  had  greatly 
delighted  us  at  first,  yet  we  were  soon  obliged  to  acknowledge 
that  the  light  they  gave  was  imperfect,  and  their  appearance 
was  unsightly ;  my  wife,  too,  begged  me  to  find  some  sub- 
stitute  for  the  threads  of  our  cotton  neckties,  which  I  had  pre- 
viously used  as  wicks.  To  give  the  proper  shape  and  smooth- 
ness to  the  candles,  I  determined  to  use  the  bamboo  molds  I 
had  prepared.  My  first  idea  was  to  pour  the  wax  in  at  the  end 
of  the  mold,  and  then  when  the  candles  were  cooled  to  slip  them 
out ;  but  I  was  soon  convinced  that  this  plan  would  not  succeed. 
I  therefore  determined  to  divide  the  molds  lengthways,  and 
then  having  greased  them  well,  we  might  pour  the  melted  wax 
into  the  two  halves  bound  tightly  together,  and  so  be  able  to 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   BOBIN8OW.  1ST 

take  out  the  candles  when  cool  without  injuring  them.  The 
wicks  were  my  next  difficulty,  and  as  the  mother  positively  re- 
fused to  allow  us  to  devote  our  ties  and  handkerchiefs  for  the 
purpose,  I  took  a  piece  of  inflammable  wood  from  a  tree,  a 
native  of  the  Antilles,  which  I  thought  would  serve  our  pur- 
pose ;  this  I  cut  into  long  slips,  and  fixed  in  the  centers  of  the 
molds.  My  wife,  too,  prepared  some  wicks  from  the  fibers  of 
the  karata  tree,  which  she  declared  would  beat  mine  com- 
pletely out  of  the  field.  We  put  them  to  the  proof. 

On  a  large  fire  we  placed  a  pot,  in  which  we  prepared  our 
wax  mixture — half  beeswax  and  half  wax  from  the  candle- 
berries.  The  molds,  carefully  prepared — half  with  karata 
fiber,  and  half  with  wooden  splint  wicks — stood  on  their  ends 
in  a  tub  of  cold  water,  ready  to  receive  the  wax.  They  were 
filled ;  the  wax  cooled ;  the  candles  taken  out  and  subjected 
to  the  criticism  of  all  hands.  When  night  drew  on,  they  were 
formally  tested.  The  decison  was  unanimous  :  neither  gave 
such  a  good  light  as  those  with  the  cotton  wicks  ;  but  even 
my  wife  declared  that  the  light  from  mine  was  far  preferable 
to  that  emitted  by  hers,  for  the  former,  though  rather  flaring, 
burned  brilliantly,  while  the  latter  gave  out  such  a  feeble  and 
flickering  flame  that  it  was  almost  useless. 

I  then  turned  shoemaker,  for  I  had  promised  myself  a  pair  of 
waterproof  boots,  and  now  determined  to  make  them. 

Taking  a  pair  of  socks,  I  filled  them  with"  sand  and  then 
coated  them  over  with  a  thin  Jayer  of  clay  to  form  a  con- 
venient mold  ;  this  was  soon  hardened  in  the  sun,  and  was 
ready  for  use.  Layer  after  layer  of  caoutchouc  I  brushed  over 
it,  allowing  each  layer  to  dryjbefore  the  next  was  put  on,  until 
at  length  I  considered  that  the  shoes  were  of  sufficient  thick- 
ness. I  dried  them,  broke  out  the  clay,  secured  with  nails  a 
strip  of  buffalo  hide  to  the  soles,  brushed  that  over  with 
caoutchouc,  and  I  had  a  pair  of  comfortable,  durable,  respect- 
able-looking waterproof  boots. 

I  was  delighted  ;  orders  poured  in  from  all  sides,  and  soon 
•veryone  in  the  family  was  likewise  provided  for. 

One  objection  to  Falconhurst  was  the  absence  of  any  spring 
elose  by,  so  that  the  boys  were  obliged  to  bring  water  daily  from 
the  stream ;  and  this  involving  no  little  trouble,  it  was  pro- 
posed that  we  should  carry  the  water  by  pipes  from  the 
stream  to  our  present  residence.  A  dam  had  to  be  thrown 
across  the  river  some  way  up  stream,  that  the  water  might  be 
raised  to  a  sufficient  height  to  run  to  Falconhurst.  From  the 
reservoir  thus  made  we  led  the  water  down  by  pipes  into  the 


188  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOIT. 

turtle's  shell,  which  we  placed  near  our  dwelling,  and  from 
which  the  superfluous  water  flowed  off  through  the  hole  made 
in  it  by  Fritz's  harpoon.  This  was  an  immense  convenience, 
and  we  formally  inaugurated  the  trough  by  washing  therein  a 
whole  sack  of  potatoes.  Thus  day  after  day  brought  its  own 
work,  and  day  after  day  saw  that  work  completed.  We  had  no 
time  to  be  idle,  or  to  lament  our  separation  from  our  fellow 
creatures. 

One  morning,  as  we  were  completing  our  spiral  staircase, 
and  giving  it  such  finish  as  we  were  capable  of,  we  were 
auddenly  alarmed  by  hearing  a  most  terrific  noise,  the  roar- 
ing or  bellowing  of  a  wild  beast ;  so  strange  a  sound  was 
it,  that  I  could  not  imagine  by  what  animal  it  was  uttered. 

Jack  thought  it  pernaps  a  lion,  Fritz  hazarded  a  gorilla, 
while  Ernest  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  and  I  thought  it  possible 
that  he  was  right,  that  it  was  a  hyena. 

"  Whatever  it  is,"  said  I,  "  we  must  prepare  to  receive  it ; 
up  with  you  all  to  the  nest  while  I  secure  the  door." 

Then  arming  the  dogs  with  their  collars,  I  sent  them  out  to 
protect  the  animals  below,  closed  the  door,  and  joined  my 
family.  Every  gun  was  loaded,  every  eye  was  upon  the 
watch.  The  sound  drew  nearer,  and  then  all  was  still ;  nothing 
was  to  be  seen.  I  determined  to  descend  and  teconnoiter, 
and  Fritz  and  I  carefully  crept  down  ;  with  our  guns  at  full 
cock  we  glided  among  the  trees  ;  noiselessly  and  quickly  we 
pushed  on  further  and  further ;  suddenly,  close  by,  we  heard 
the  terrific  sound  again.  Fritz  raised  his  gun,  but  almost  as 
quickly  again  dropped  it,  and  burst  into  a  hearty  fit  of  laughter. 
There  was  no  mistaking  those  dulcet  tones — he-haw,  he-haw, 
he-haw — resounded  through  the  forest,  and  our  ass,  braying 
his  approach  right  merrily,  appeared  in  sight.  To  our  sur- 
prise, however,  our  friend  was  not  alone  :  behind  him  trotted 
another  animal,  an  ass  no  doubt,  but  slim  and  graceful  as  a 
horse.  We  watched  their  movements  anxiously. 

"  Fritz,"  I  whispered,  "  that  is  an  onager.  Creep  back  to 
Falconhurst  and  bring  me  a  piece  of  cord — quietly  now  ! " 

While  he  was  gone,  I  cut  a  bamboo  and  split  it  half-way 
down  to  form  a  pair  of  pincers,  which  I  knew  would  be  of 
use  to  me  should  I  get  near  the  animal.  Fritz  soon  returned 
with  the  cord,  and  I  was  glad  to  observe  also  brought  some 
oats  and  salt.  We  made  one  end  of  the  cord  fast  to  a  tree, 
and  at  the  other  end  made  a  running  noose.  Silently  we 
watched  the  animals  as  they  approached,  quietly  browsing  j 
Fritz  then  arose,  holding  in  one  hand  the  noose  and  in  the 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSOW.  199 

Other  some  oats  and  salt.  The  ass,  seeing  his  favorite  food 
thus  held  out,  advanced  to  take  it ;  Fritz  allowed  him  to  do 
so,  and  he  was  soon  munching  contentedly.  The  stranger, 
on  seeing  Fritz,  started  back  ;  but  finding  her  companion 
show  no  signs  of  alarm,  was  reassured,  and  soon  approached 
sniffing,  and  was  about  to  take  some  of  the  tempting  food. 
In  a  moment  the  noose  left  Fritz's  adroit  hand  and  fell  round 
her  neck  ;  with  a  single  bound  she  sprang  backward  the  full 
length  of  the  cord,  the  noose  drew  tight,  and  she  fell  to  the 
earth  half  strangled.  I  at  once  ran  up,  loosened  the  rope,  and 
replaced  it  by  a  halter ;  and  placing  the  pincers  upon  her 
nose,  secured  her  by  two  cords  fastened  between  two  trees, 
and  then  left  her  to  recover  herself. 

Everyone  hastened  up  to  examine  the  beautiful  animal  as 
she  rose  to  the  ground  and  cast  fiery  glances  around.  She 
lashed  out  with  her  heels  on  every  side  ;  and,  giving  vent 
to  angry  snorts,  struggled  violently  to  get  free.  All  her  en- 
deavors were  vain :  the  cordrf  were  stout,  and  after  a  while 
she  quieted  down  and  stood  exhausted  and  quivering.  I  then 
approached  :  she  suffered  me  to  lead  her  to  the  roots  of  out 
tree,  which  for  the  present  formed  our  stables,  and  there  I 
tied  her  up  close  to  the  donkey,  who  was  likewise  prevented 
from  playing  truant. 

Next  morning  I  found  the  onager  after  her  night's  rest  as 
wild  as  ever,  and  as  I  looked  at  the  handsome  creature  I 
almost  despaired  of  ever  taming  her  proud  spirit.  Every 
expedient  was  tried,  and  at  length,  when  the  animal  was 
subdued  by  hunger,  I  thought  I  might  venture  to  mount  her  ; 
and  having  given  her  the  strongest  curb  and  shackled  her  feet  I 
attempted  to  do  so.  She  was  as  unruly  as  ever,  and  as  a  last  ex- 
pedient I  resolved  to  adopt  a  plan  which,  though  cruel,  was  I 
knew  attended  with  wonderful  success  by  the  American  Indians, 
by  whom  it  is  practiced.  Watching  a  favorable  opportunity,  I 
sprang  upon  the  onager's  back,  and  seizing  her  long  ear  in 
my  teeth,  in  spite  of  her  kicking  and  plunging,  bit  it  through. 
The  result  was  marvelous,  the  animal  ceased  plunging,  and, 
quivering  violently,  stood  stock  still.  From  that  moment 
we  were  her  masters,  the  children  mounted  her  one  after 
the  other,  and  she  carried  them  obediently  and  quietly. 
Proud,  indeed,  did  I  feel  as  I  watched  this  animal,  which 
naturalists  and  travelers  have  declared  to  be  beyond  the  power 
•f  man  to  tame,  guided  hither  and  thither  by  my  youngest 
son. 

Additions  to  our  poultry  yard  reminded  me  of  the  necessity 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBINSOW. 

of  providing  some  substantial  shelter  for  our  animals  before 
the  rainy  season  came  on  ;  three  broods  of  chickens  had  been 
successfully  hatched,  and  the  little  creatures,  forty  in  all, 
were  my  wife's  pride  and  delight.  We  began  by  making  a 
roof  over  the  vaulted  roots  of  our  tree,  forming  the  frame- 
work of  bamboo  canes,  which  we  laid  close  together  and 
bound  tightly  down  ;  others  we  fixed  below  as  supports. 
The  interstices  were  filled  up  with  clay  and  moss  ;  and  coat- 
ing the  whole  over  with  a  mixture  of  tar  and  lime-water,  we 
obtained  a  firm  balcony,  and  a  capital  roof  impervious  to  the 
severest  fall  of  rain.  I  ran  a  light  rail  round  the  balcony  to 
give  it  a  more  ornamental  appearance,  and  below  divided  the 
building  into  several  compartments.  Stables,  poultry  yard, 
hay  and  provision  lofts,  dairy,  kitchen,  larder,  and  dinmg-hall 
were  united  under  one  roof. 

Our  winter  quarters  were  now  completed,  and  we  had  but 
to  store  them  with  food.  Day  after  day  we  worked,  bring- 
ing in  provisions  of  every  description. 

As  we  were  one  evening  returning  from  gather  ing  potatoes, 
it  struck  me  that  we  should  take  in  a  store  of  acorns  ;  and 
sending  the  two  younger  boys  home  with  their  mother  and 
the  cart,  I  took  a  large  canvas  bag,  and  with  Fritz  and  Ern- 
est, the  former  mounted  on  his  onager,  and  the  latter  carrying 
his  little  favorite,  Knips,  made  a  detour  toward  the  Acorn 
Wood. 

We  reached  the  spot,  tied  Lightfoot  to  a  neighboring  tree, 
and  began  rapidly  to  fill  the  sack.  As  we  were  thus  engaged, 
Knips  sprang  suddenly  into  a  bush  close  by,  from  which,  a 
moment  afterward,  issued  such  strange  cries  that  Ernest 
followed  to  see  what  could  be  the  matter. 

"  Come  ! "  he  shouted  ;  "  come  and  help  me  !  I've  got  a 
couple  of  birds  and  their  eggs.  Quick  !  Ruffed  grouse  1 " 

We  hurried  to  the  spot.  There  was  Ernest  with  a  flutter- 
ing, screaming  bird  in  either  hand  ;  while,  with  his  foot,  he 
was  endeavoring  to  prevent  his  greedy  little  monkey  from 
seizing  the  eggs.  We  quickly  tied  the  legs  of  the  birds,  and 
removing  the  eggs  from  the  nest,  placed  them  in  Ernest's 
hat  ;  while  he  gathered  some  of  the  long,  broad  grass,  with 
which  the  nest  was  woven,  and  which  grew  luxuriantly  around, 
for  Franz  to  play  at  sword-drill  with.  We  then  loaded  the 
onager  with  the  acorns,  and  moved  homeward.  The  eggs  I 
covered  carefully  with  dry  moss,  that  they  might  be  kept 
warm,  and  as  soon  as  possible  I  handed  them  over  to  my  wife, 
Who  managed  the  mother  so  cleverly  that  she  induced  her  to 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOBINSO1C.  131 

return  to  the  eggs,  and  in  a  few  days,  to  our  great  delight,  we 
had  fifteen  beautiful  little  Canadian  chicks. 

Franz  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  "  swords  "  his  brother 
brought  him  ;  but  having  no  small  companion  on  whom  to 
exercise  his  valor,  he  amused  himself  for  a  short  time  in 
hewing  down  imaginary  foes,  and  then  cut  the  reeds  in  slips, 
and  plaited  them  to  form  a  whip  for  Lightfoot.  The  leaves 
seemed  so  pliable  and  strong  that  I  examined  them  to  see  to 
what  further  use  they  might  be  put.  Their  tissue  was  com- 
posed of  long  silky  fibers.  A  sudden  thought  struck  me — > 
this  must  be  New  Zealand  flax.  I  could  not  rest  till  I  had 
announced  this  invaluable  discovery  to  my  wife.  She  was 
no  less  delighted  than  I  was. 

"  Bring  me  the  leaves  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Oh,  what  a  de- 
lightful discovery !  No  one  shall  now  be  clothed  in  rags ; 
just  make  me  a  spindle,  and  you  shall  soon  have  shirts  and 
stockings  and  trousers,  all  good  homespun  !  Quick,  Fritz, 
and  bring  your  mother  more  leaves  !  " 

We  could  not  help  smiling  at  her  eager  zeal ;  but  Fritz  and 
Ernest  sprang  on  their  steeds,  and  soon  the  onager  and 
buffalo  were  galloping  home  again,  each  laden  with  a  great 
bundle  of  flax.  The  boys  dismounted  and  deposited  their 
offering  at  their  mother's  feet. 

"  Capital  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I  shall  now  show  you  that  I 
am  not  at  all  behindhand  in  ingenuity.  This  must  be  retted, 
carded,  spun,  and  woven,  and  then  with  scissors,  needle,  and 
thread  I  will  make  you  any  article  of  clothing  you  choose." 

We  decided  that  Flamingo  Marsh  would  be  the  best  spot  for 
the  operation  of  steeping  or  "  retting "  the  flax,  and  next 
morning  we  set  out  thither  with  the  cart  drawn  by  the  ass,  and 
^.aden  with  the  bundles,  between  which  sat  Franz  and  Knips, 
while  the  rest  of  us  followed  with  spades  and  hatchets.  I 
described  to  my  boys  as  we  went  along  the  process  of  retting, 
and  explained  to  them  how  steeping  the  flax  leaves  destroys 
the  useless  membrane,  while  the  strong  fibers  remain. 

As  we  were  employed  in  making  beds  for  tho  flax  and 
placing  it  in  them,  we  observed  several  nests  of  the  flamingo. 
These  are  most  curiously  and  skillfully  made  of  glutinous 
clay,  so  strong  that  they  can  neither  be  overturned  nor  washed 
away.  They  are  formed  in  the  shape  of  blunted  cones,  and 
placed  point  downward  ;  at  the  upper  and  broader  end  is 
built  a  little  platform  to  contain  the  eggs,  on  which  the  female 
bird  sits,  with  her  long  legs  in  the  water  on  either  side,  until 
the  little  birds  are  hatched  and  can  take  to  the  water.  For 


133  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBINSON1. 

a  fortnight  we  left  the  flax  to  steep,  and  then  taking  it  out 
and  drying  it  thoroughly  in  the  sun,  stored  it  for  future  use  at 
Falconhurst. 

Daily  did  we  load  our  cart  with  provisions  to  be  brought  to 
our  winter  quarters :  manioc,  potatoes,  cocoanuts,  sweet 
acorns,  sugar-canes,  were  all  collected  and  stored  in  abundance 
— for  grumbling  thunder,  lowering  skies,  and  sharp  showers 
warned  us  that  we  had  no  time  to  lose.  Our  corn  was  sowed, 
our  animals  housed,  our  provisions  stored,  when  down  came 
the  rain. 

To  continue  in  our  nest  we  found  impossible,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  retreat  to  the  trunk,  where  we  carried  such 
of  our  domestic  furniture  as  might  have  been  injured  by 
the  damp.  Our  dwelling  was  indeed  crowded :  the  ani- 
mals and  provisions  below,  and  our  beds  and  household 
goods  around  us,  hemmed  us  in  on  cveiy  side ;  by  dint 
of  patience  and  better  packing,  we  obtained  sufficient  room,  GO 
work  and  lie  down  in  ;  by  degrees,  too,  we  became  accus. 
tomed  to  the  continual  noise  of  the  animals  and  the  smell  of 
the  stables.  The  smoke  from  the  fire,  which  we  were  occa- 
sionally obliged  to  light,  was  not  agreeable  ;  but  in  time 
even  that  seemed  to  become  more  bearable. 

To  make  more  space,  we  turned  such  animals  as  we  had 
captured,  and  who  therefore  might  be  imagined  to  know  how 
to  shift  for  themselves,  outside  during  the  daytime,  bringing 
them  under  the  arched  roots  only  at  night.  To  perform  this 
duty  Fritz  and  I  used  to  sally  forth  every  evening,  and  as 
regularly  every  evening  did  we  return  soaked  to  the  skin. 
To  obviate  this,  the  mother,  who  feared  these  continual  wet- 
tings might  injure  our  health,  contrived  waterproofs  :  she 
brushed  on  several  layers  of  caoutchouc  over  stout  shirts,  to 
which  she  attached  hoods  ;  she  then  fixed  to  these  duck 
trousers,  and  thus  prepared  for  each  of  us  a  complete  water- 
proof suit,  clad  in  which  we  might  brave  the  severest  rain. 

In  spite  of  our  endeavors  to  keep  ourselves  busy,  the  time 
dragged  heavily.  Our  mornings  were  occupied  in  tending  the 
animals  ;  the  boys  amused  themselves  with  their  pets,  and 
assisted  me  in  the  manufacture  of  carding-combs  and  a  spindle 
for  the  mother.  The  combs  I  made  with  nails,  which  I  placed 
head  downward  on  a  sheet  of  tin  about  an  inch  wide  ;  hold- 
ing the  nails  in  their  proper  positions  I  poured  solder  round 
their  heads  to  fix  them  to  tke  tin,  which  I  then  folded  down 
on  either  side  of  them  to  keep  them  perfectly  firm.  In  the 
evening,  when  our  room  was  illuminated  with  wax  caudles, 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   EOBINSOIC.  13% 

I  wrote  a  journal  of  all  the  events  which  had  occurred  since 
our  arrival  in  this  foreign  land  ;  and,  while  the  mother  was 
busy  with  her  needle  and  Ernest  making  sketches  of  birds, 
beasts,  and  flowers  with  which  he  had  met  during  the  past 
months,  Fritz  and  Jack  taught  little  Franz  to  read. 

Week  after  week  rolled  by.  Week  after  week  saw  us  still 
close  prisoners.  Incessant  rain  battered  down  above  us  j  con« 
stant  gloom  hung  over  the  desolate  scene. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Spring  again — We  begin  to  hew  a  cave — Jack  makes  a  discovery — We 
drive  the  foul  air  from  the  cavern — The  mother  and  her  boys  Join 
us — We  explore  the  cave — Fit  it  up  as  our  winter  quarters— The 
herring-bank — We  catch  seals — Fishing  on  a  grand  scale — Isinglass 
and  caviare — We  visit  our  plantations — An  expedition  to  establish 
a  colony — The  building  of  "Woodlands" — Jack  and  Fritz  return 
to  Falconhurst  for  provisions — Ernest  and  I  explore — A  "  beast  with 
a  bill" — We  build  a  canoe— Franz  undertakes  the  education  of 
Grumble — We  continue  our  work  at  the  cave — Carpet  making — 
Thanksgiving-day — A  startling  salute — Athletics  and  shooting — 
Prize  giving — Manufacture  of  birdlime — Fritz  and  Jack  ride  off  for 
caoutchouc — Shoot  a  crane  and  badger — Find  "  Woodlands"  turned 
upside  down  by  monkeys — Discover  ginseng. 

THE  winds  at  length  were  lulled,  the  sun  shot  his  brilliant 
rays  through  the  riven  clouds,  the  rain  ceased  to  fall — spring 
had  come.  No  prisoners  set  at  liberty  could  have  felt  more 
joy  than  we  did  as  we  stepped  forth  from  our  winter  abode, 
refreshed  our  eyes  with  the  pleasant  verdure  around  us,  and 
our  ears  with  the  merry  songs  of  a  thousand  happy  birds,  and 
drank  in  the  pure,  balmy  air  of  spring. 

Our  plantations  were  thriving  vigorously.  The  seed  we 
had  sown  was  shooting  through  the  moist  earth.  All  nature 
was  refreshed. 

Our  nest  was  our  first  care  ;  filled  with  leaves  and  broken 
*nd  torn  by  the  wind,  it  looked  indeed  dilapidated.  We 
worked  hard,  and  in  a  few  days  it  was  again  habitable.  My 
wife  begged  that  I  would  now  start  her  with  the  flax,  and  as 
early  as  possible  I  built  a  drying-oven,  and  then  prepared  it 
for  her  use  ;  I  also,  after  some  trouble,  manufactured  a  beetle- 
reel  and  spinning-wheel,  and  she  and  Franz  were  soon  hard  at 
work,  the  little  boy  reeling  off  the  thread  his  mother  spun. 

I  was  anxious  to  visit  Tentholm,  for  I  feared  that  much  of 
our  precious  stores  might  have  suffered.  Fritz  and  I  made 
an  excursion  thither.  The  damage  done  to  Falconhurst  was 


284  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBIN8OW. 

as  nothing  compared  to  the  scene  that  awaited  us.  The  tent 
was  blown  to  the  ground,  the  canvas  torn  to  rags,  the  pro- 
visions  soaked,  and  two  casks  of  powder  utterly  destroyed, 
We  immediately  spread  such  things  as  we  hoped  yet  to  pre- 
serve in  the  sun  to  dry.  The  pinnace  was  safe,  but  our  faith- 
ful tub-boat  was  dashed  in  pieces,  and  the  irreparable  damage 
we  had  sustained  made  me  resolve  to  contrive  some  safer  and 
more  stable  winter-quarters  before  the  arrival  of  the  next  rainy 
season.  Fritz  proposed  that  we  should  hollow  out  a  cave  in 
the  rock,  and  though  the  difficulties  such  an  undertaking 
would  present  appeared  almost  insurmountable,  I  yet  deter- 
mined to  make  the  attempt ;  we  might  not,  I  thought,  hew 
out  a  cavern  of  sufficient  size  to  serve  as  a  room,  but  we  might 
at  least  make  a  cellar  for  the  more  valuable  and  perishable  of 
our  stores. 

Some  days  afterward  we  left  Falconhurst  with  the  cart 
laden  with  a  cargo  of  spades,  hammers,  chisels,  pickaxes,  and 
crowbars,  and  began  our  undertaking.  On  the  smooth  face  of 
the  perpendicular  rock  I  drew  out  in  chalk  the  size  of  the 
proposed  entrance,  and  then,  with  minds  bent  on  success,  we 
battered  away.  Six  days  of  hard  and  incessant  toil  made  but 
little  impression ;  I  do  not  think  that  the  hole  would  have 
been  a  satisfactory  shelter  for  even  Master  Knips  ;  but  we 
still  did  not  despair,  and  were  presently  rewarded  by  coming 
to  softer  and  more  yielding  substance  ;  our  work  progressed, 
and  our  minds  were  relieved. 

On  the  tenth  day,  as  our  persevering  blows  were  falling 
heavily,  Jack,  who  was  working  diligently  with  a  hammer 
and  crowbar,  shouted  : 

"  Gone,  father  !  Fritz,  my  bar  has  gone  through  the  moun< 
tain!" 

"  Run  round  and  get  it,*'  laughed  Fritz  ;  "  perhaps  it  has 
dropped  into  Europe — you  must  not  lose  a  good  crowbar." 

"  But,  really,  it  is  through  ;  it  went  right  through  the 
rock  ;  I  heard  it  crash  down  inside.  Oh,  do  come  and  see  !  " 
he  shouted  excitedly. 

We  sprang  to  his  side,  and  I  thrust  the  handle  of  my  ham- 
mer  into  the  hole  he  spoke  of  ;  it  met  with  no  opposition,  I 
could  turn  it  in  any  direction  I  chose.  Fritz  handed  me  a  long 
pole  ;  I  tried  the  depth  with  that.  Nothing  could  I  feel.  A 
thin  wall,  then,  was  all  that  intervened  between  us  and  a  great 
cavern. 

With  a  shout  of  joy,  the  boys  battered  vigorously  at  the 
rock ;  piece  by  piece  fell,  and  soon  the  hole  was  large  enough 


THE   ovVISS   FAMILY   BOBINSON.  135 

for  us  to  enter.  I  stepped  near  the  aperture,  and  was  about 
to  make  a  further  examination,  when  a  sudden  rush  of  pois- 
onous air  turned  me  giddy,  and  shouting  to  my  sons  to  stand 
off,  I  leaned  against  the  rock. 

When  I  came  to  myself  I  explained  to  them  the  danger  of 
approaching  any  cavern  or  other  place  where  the  air  has  for  a 
long  time  been  stagnant.  "  Unless  air  is  incessantly  renewed 
It  becomes  vitiated,"  I  said,  "  and  fatal  to  those  who  breathe 
it.  The  safest  way  of  restoring  it  to  its  original  state  is  to 
subject  it  to  the  action  of  fire,  a  few  handf uls  of  blazing  hay 
thrown  into  this  hole  may,  if  the  place  be  small,  sufficiently 
purify  the  air  within  to  allow  us  to  enter  without  danger." 
We  tried  the  experiment.  The  flame  was  extinguished  the 
instant  Jt  Centered.  Though  bundles  of  blazing  grass  were 
thrown  In,  no  difference  was  made. 

I  saw  that  we  must  apply  some  more  efficacious  remedy, 
and  sent  the  boys  for  a  chest  of  signal  rockets  we  had 
brought  from  the  wreck.  We  let  fly  some  dozens  of  these 
fiery  serpents,  which  went  whizzing  in,  and  disappeared  at 
apparently  a  vast  distance  from  us.  Some  flew  like  radiant 
meteors  round,  lighted  up  the  mighty  circumference  and 
displayed,  as  by  a  magician's  wand,  a  sparkling,  glittering 
roof.  They  looked  like  avenging  dragons  driving  a  foul, 
malignant  fiend  out  of  a  beauteous  palace. 

We  waited  for  a  little  while  after  these  experiments,  and 
I  then  again  threw  in  lighted  hay.  It  burned  clearly  ;  the  air 
was  purified. 

Fritz  and  I  enlarged  the  opening,  while  Jack,  springing  on 
his  buffalo,  thundered  away  to  Falconhurst  to  bear  the  great 
and  astonishing  news  to  his  mother. 

Great  must  have  been  the  effect  of  Jack's  eloquence  on 
those  at  home,  for  the  timbers  of  the  bridge  were  soon  again 
resounding  under  the  swift  but  heavy  tramp  of  his  steed  ;  and 
he  was  quickly  followed  by  the  rest  of  our  party  in  the  cart. 

All  were  in  the  highest  state  of  excitement.  Jack  had 
itowed  in  the  cart  all  the  candles  he  could  find,  and  we  now, 
lighting  these,  shouldered  our  arms  and  entered.  I  led  the 
way,  sounding  the  ground  as  I  advanced  with  a  long  pole, 
that  we  might  not  fall  unexpectedly  into  any  great  hole  or 
chasm.  Silently  we  marched — the  mother,  the  boys,  and  even 
the  dogs  seeming  overawed  with  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of 
the  scene.  We  were  in  a  grotto  of  diamonds — a  vast  cave  of 
glittering  crystal  :  the  candles  reflected  on  the  walls  a  goldey 
light,  bright  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  while  great  crystal 


136  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

pillars  rose  from  the  floor  like  mighty  trees,  mingling  theif 
branches  high  above  us  and  drooping  in  hundreds  of  stalac- 
tites, which  sparkled  and  glittered  with  all  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow. 

The  floor  of  this  magnificent  palace  was  formed  of  hard, 
dry  sand,  so  dry  that  I  saw  at  once  that  we  might  safely  take 
up  our  abode  therein,  without  the  slightest  fear  of  danger 
from  damp. 

From  the  appearance  of  the  brilliant  crystals  round  about 
is  I  suspected  their  nature. 

I  tasted  a  piece.  This  was  a  cavern  of  rock  salt.  There 
was  no  doubt  about  it — here  was  an  unlimited  supply  of  the 
best  and  purest  salt !  But  one  thing  detracted  from  my  entire 
satisfaction  and  delight — large  crystals  lay  scattered  here  and 
there,  which,  detached  from  the  roof,  had  fallen  to  the  ground  ; 
this,  if  apt  to  recur,  would  keep  us  in  constant  peril.  I  exam- 
ined some  of  the  masses  and  discovered  that  they  had  been  all 
recently  separated,  and  therefore  concluded  that  the  concus- 
sion of  the  air  occasioned  by  the  rockets  had  caused  their 
fall.  To  satisfy  ourselves,  however,  that  there  were  no  more 
pieces  tottering  above  us,  we  discharged  our  guns  from  the 
entrance,  and  watched  the  effect.  Nothing  more  fell— our 
magnificent  abode  was  safe. 

We  returned  to  Falconhurst  with  minds  full  of  wonder  aft 
our  new  discovery,  and  plans  for  turning  it  to  the  best  possi- 
ble advantage. 

Nothing  was  now  talked  of  but  the  new  house,  how  it 
should  be  arranged,  how  it  should  be  fitted  up.  The  safety 
and  comfort  of  Falconhurst,  which  had  at  first  seemed  so 
great,  now  dwindled  away  in  our  opinion  to  nothing  ;  it 
should  be  kept  up,  we  decided,  merely  as  a  summer  residence, 
while  our  cave  should  be  formed  into  a  winter  house  and  im- 
pregnable castle.  Our  attention  was  now  fully  occupied  with 
this  new  house.  Light  and  air  were  to  be  admitted,  so  we 
hewed  a  row  of  windows  in  the  rock,  where  we  fitted  the 
window  cases  we  had  brought  from  the  officers'  cabins.  We 
brought  the  door,  too,  from  Falconhurst,  and  fitted  it  in  the 
aperture  we  had  made.  The  opening  in  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  I  determined  to  conceal  with  bark,  as  less  likely  to 
attract  the  notice  of  wild  beasts  or  savages  should  they  ap- 
proach during  our  absence.  The  cave  itself  we  divided  into 
four  parts  :  in  front,  a  large  compartment  into  which  the 
door  opened,  subdivided  into  our  sitting,  eating,  and  sleeping 
apartments ;  the  right-hand  division  containing  our  kitchen 


THE   SWISS    FAMILY   BOBINSOir. 

and  workshop,  and  the  left  our  stables  ;  behind  all  this,  in 
the  dark  recesses  of  the  cave,  was  our  storehouse  and  powder- 
magazine.  Having  already  undergone  one  rainy  season,  we 
knew  well  its  discomforts,  and  thought  of  many  useful  ar- 
rangements in  the  laying  out  of  our  dwelling.  We  did  not 
intend  to  be  again  smoke-dried  ;  we  therefore  contrived  a 
properly  built  fire  place  and  chimney  ;  our  stable  arrange- 
ments, too,  were  better,  and  plenty  of  space  was  left  in  our 
workshop  that  we  should  not  be  hampered  in  even  the  most 
extensive  operations. 

Our  frequent  residence  at  Tentholm  revealed  to  us  several 
important  advantages  which  we  had  not  foreseen.  Numbers 
of  splendid  turtles  often  came  ashore  to  deposit  their  eggs  in 
the  sand,  and  their  delicious  flesh  afforded  us  many  a  sumptu- 
ous meal.  When  more  than  one  of  these  creatures  appeared 
at  a  time,  we  used  to  cut  off  their  retreat  to  the  sea,  and, 
turning  them  on  their  backs,  fasten  them  to  a  stake  driven 
in  close  by  the  water's  edge,  by  a  cord  passed  through  a  hole 
in  their  shell.  We  thus  had  fresh  turtle  continually  within  our 
reach  ;  for  the  animals  throve  well  thus  secured,  and  appeared 
in  as  good  condition,  after  having  been  kept  thus  for  several 
weeks,  as  others  when  freshly  caught.  Lobsters,  crabs,  and 
mussels  also  abounded  on  the  shore.  But  this  was  not  all ; 
an  additional  surprise  awaited  us. 

As  we  were  one  morning  approaching  Tentholm,  we  were 
attracted  by  a  most  curious  phenomenon.  The  waters  out  at 
sea  appeared  agitated  by  some  unseen  movement,  and  as  they 
heaved  and  boiled,  their  surface,  struck  by  the  beams  of  the 
morning  sun,  seemed  illuminated  by  flashes  of  fire.  Over  the 
water  where  this  disturbance  was  taking  place  hovered  hun- 
dreds of  birds,  screaming  loudly,  which  ever  and  anon  would 
dart  downward,  some  plunging  beneath  the  water,  some 
skimming  the  surface.  Then  again  they  would  rise  and  re- 
sume their  harsh  cries.  The  shining,  sparkling  mass  then 
rolled  onward,  and  approached  in  a  direct  line  our  bay,  fol« 
lowed  by  the  feathered  flock  above.  We  hurried  down  to  the 
shore  to  further  examine  this  strange  sight. 

I  was  convinced  as  we  approached  that  it  was  a  shoal  or 
bank  of  herrings. 

No  sooner  did  I  give  utterance  to  my  conjecture  than  I 
was  assailed  by  a  host  of  questions  concerning  this  herring- 
bank,  what  it  was,  and  what  occasioned  it. 

"  A  herring-bank,"  I  said,  "  is  composed  of  an  immense  num- 
ber of  herrings  swimming  top-jether.  I  can  scarcely  expr«»** 


188  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSON. 

to  you  the  huge  size  of  this  living  bank,  which  extends  ovet 
a  great  area  many  fathoms  deep.  It  is  followed  by  numbers 
of  great  ravenous  fish,  who  devour  quantities  of  the  herrings* 
while  above  hover  birds,  as  you  have  just  seen,  ready  to  pounce 
down  on  stragglers  near  the  top.  To  escape  these  enemies, 
the  shoal  makes  for  the  nearest  shore,  and  seeks  safety  in  those 
shallows  where  the  large  fish  cannot  follow.  But  here  it 
meets  with  a  third  great  enemy.  It  may  escape  from  the 
_isb,  and  elude  the  vigilance  of  sharp-sighted  birds,  but  from 
the  ingenuity  of  man  it  can  find  no  escape.  In  one  year  mil- 
lions of  these  fish  are  caught,  and  yet  the  roes  of  only  a  small 
aumber  would  be  sufficient  to  supply  as  many  fish  again." 

Soon  our  fishery  was  in  operation.  Jack  and  Fritz  stood  in 
he  water  with  baskets,  and  baled  out  the  fish,  as  one  bales 
water  with  a  bucket,  throwing  them  to  us  on  the  shore.  As 
quickly  as  possible  we  cleaned  them,  and  placed  them  in  casks 
with  salt,  first  a  layer  of  salt,  and  then  a  layer  of  herrings,  and 
so  on,  until  we  had  ready  many  casks  of  pickled  fish. 

As  the  barrels  were  filled,  we  closed  them  carefully,  and 
rolled  them  away  to  the  cool  vaults  at  the  back  of  our  cave. 

Our  good  fortune,  however,  was  not  to  end  here.  A  day 
After  the  herring  fishery  was  over,  and  the  shoal  had  left  our 
oay,  a  great  number  of  seals  appeared,  attracted  by  the  refuse 
of  the  herrings  which  we  had  thrown  into  the  sea.  Though  I 
feared  they  would  not  be  suitable  for  our  table,  we  yet  secured 
a  score  or  two  for  the  sake  of  their  skins  and  fat.  The  skins 
we  drew  carefully  off  for  harness  and  clothing,  and  the  fat  we 
boiled  down  for  oil,  which  we  put  aside  in  casks  for  tanning, 
soap-making,  and  burning  in  lamps. 

These  occupations  interfered  for  some  time  with  our  work 
at  Rock  House  ;  but  as  soon  as  possible  we  again  returned  to 
our  labor  with  renewed  vigor. 

I  had  noticed  that  the  salt  crystals  had  for  their  base  a  spe- 
cies of  gypsum,  which  I  knew  might  be  made  of  great  service 
to  us  in  our  building  operations  as  plaster. 

As  an  experiment,  I  broke  off  some  pieces,  and,  after  subject 
ing  them  to  great  heat,  reduced  them  to  powder.  The  plaster 
this  formed  with  water  was  smooth  and  white,  and  as  I  had 
then  no  particular  use  to  which  I  might  put  it,  I  plastered 
over  some  of  the  herring  casks,  that  I  might  be  perfectly  cer- 
tain that  all  air  was  excluded.  The  remainder  of  the  casks  I 
left  as  they  were,  for  I  presently  intended  to  preserve  their 
contents  by  smoking.  To  do  this,  the  boys  and  I  built  a  small 
but  of  reeds  and  branches,  and  then  we  strung  our  herrings 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSON.  139 

on  lines  across  the  roof.  On  the  floor  we  lit  a  great  fire  of 
brushwood  and  moss,  which  threw  out  a  dense  smoke,  curling 
in  volumes  round  the  fish,  and  they  in  a  few  days  seemed  per- 
fectly cured. 

About  a  month  after  the  appearance  of  the  herrings,  we 
were  favored  by  a  visit  from  other  shoals  of  fish.  Jack 
espied  them  first,  and  called  to  us  that  a  lot  of  young  whales 
were  off  the  coast.  We  ran  down  and  discovered  the  bay  ap- 
parently swarming  with  great  sturgeon,  salmon,  and  trout,  all 
making  for  the  mouth  of  Jackal  River,  that  they  might  ascend 
it  and  deposit  their  spawn  among  the  stones. 

Jack  was  delighted  at  his  discovery. 

"  Here  are  proper  fish  ! "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  none  of  your  pal- 
try fry.  How  do  you  preserve  these  sorts  of  fish  ?  Potted, 
salted,  or  smoked  ?  " 

"  Not  so  fast,"  said  I,  "  not  so  fast ;  tell  me  how  they  are  to 
be  caught,  and  I  will  tell  you  how  they  are  to  be  cooked." 

"  Oh  !  I'll  catch  them  fast  enough,"  he  replied,  and  darted 
off  to  Rock  House. 

While  I  was  still  puzzling  my  brains  as  to  how  I  should  set 
to  work,  he  returned  with  his  fishing  apparatus  in  hand ;  a 
bow  and  arrow,  and  a  ball  of  twine. 

At  the  arrow-head  he  had  fastened  a  barbed  spike,  and  had 
secured  the  arrow  to  the  end  of  the  string.  Armed  with  this 
weapon,  he  advanced  to  the  river's  edge. 

His  arrow  flew  from  the  bow,  and,  to  my  surprise,  struck  one 
of  the  largest  fish  in  the  side. 

"  Help,  father,  help  ! "  he  cried,  as  the  great  fish  darted  off, 
carrying  arrow  and  all  with  it ;  "  help !  or  he  will  pull  me 
into  the  water." 

I  ran  to  his  assistance,  and  together  we  struggled  with  th« 
finny  monster.  He  pulled  tremendously,  and  lashed  the  water 
around  him  ;  but  we  held  the  cord  fast,  and  he  had  no  chance 
of  escape.  Weaker  and  weaker  grew  his  struggles,  and,  at 
length,  exhausted  by  his  exertions  and  loss  of  blood,  he  allowed 
us  to  draw  him  ashore. 

He  was  a  noble  prize,  and  Fritz  and  Ernest,  who  came  up 
just  as  we  completed  his  capture,  were  quite  envious  of  Jack's 
•uccess.  Not  to  be  behindhand,  they  eagerly  rushed  off  for 
weapons  themselves. 

We  were  soon  all  in  the  water,  Fritz  with  a  harpoon,  Ernest 
with  a  rod  and  line,  and  I  myself,  armed,  like  Neptune,  with 
an  iron  trident,  or  more  property  speaking,  perhaps,  a  pitch- 
fork. Soon  the  shore  was  strewn  with  a  goodly  number  of 


140  THK   SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON. 

the  finest  fish — monster  after  monster  we  drew  to  land.  At 
length  Fritz,  after  harpooning  a  great  sturgeon  full  eight  feet 
long,  could  not  get  the  fish  ashore ;  we  all  went  to  his  assist- 
ance, but  our  united  efforts  were  unavailing. 

"  The  buffalo  ! "  proposed  my  wife,  and  off  went  Jack  for 
Storm.  Storm  was  harnessed  to  the  harpoon  rope,  and  soon 
the  monstrous  fish  lay  panting  on  the  sand.  I 

We  at  length,  when  we  had  captured  as  many  fish  as  we 
eould  possibly  utilize,  set  about  cleaning  and  preparing  their 
flesh.  Some  we  salted,  some  we  dried  like  the  herrings,  some 
(we  treated  like  the  tunny  of  the  Mediterranean — we  prepared 
''them  in  oil.  Of  the  roe  of  the  sturgeon  I  decided  to  form 
caviare,  the  great  Russian  dish.  I  removed  from  it  all  the 
membranes  by  which  it  is  surrounded,  washed  it  in  vinegar, 
salted  it,  pressed  out  all  the  moisture  caused  by  the  wet-ab- 
sorbing properties  of  the  salt,  packed  it  in  small  barrels,  and 
stowed  it  away  in  our  storehouse. 

I  knew  that  of  the  sturgeon's  bladder  the  best  isinglass  is 
made,  so  carefully  collecting  the  air-bladders  from  all  those  we 
had  killed,  I  washed  them  and  hung  them  up  to  stiffen.  The 
outer  coat  or  membrane  I  then  peeled  off,  cutting  the  remainder 
into  strips,  technically  called  staples.  These  staples  I  placed  in 
an  iron  pot  over  the  fire,  and  when  they  had  been  reduced 
to  a  proper  consistency  I  strained  off  the  glue  through  a  clean 
cloth,  and  spread  it  out  on  a  slab  of  stone  in  thin  layers,  let- 
ting them  remain  until  they  were  dry.  The  substance  I  thus 
obtained  was  beautifully  transparent,  and  promised  to  serve 
as  an  excellent  substitute  for  glass  in  our  window-frames. 

Fortunately,  in  this  beautiful  climate  little  or  no  attention 
was  necessary  to  the  kitchen  garden,  the  seeds  sprang  up  and 
flourished  without  apparently  the  slightest  regard  for  the  time 
or  season  of  the  year.  Peas,  beans,  wheat,  barley,  rye,  and 
Indian  corn  seemed  constantly  ripe,  while  cucumbers,  melons, 
and  all  sorts  of  other  vegetables  grew  luxuriantly.  The  suc- 
cess of  our  garden  at  Tentholm  encouraged  me  to  hope  that 
my  experiment  at  Falconhurst  had  not  failed,  and  one  morn- 
ing  we  started  to  visit  the  spot. 

As  we  passed  by  the  field  from  which  the  potatoes  had  been 
dug,  we  found  it  covered  with  barley,  wheat,  rye,  and  peas  in 
profusion. 

I  turned  to  the  mother  in  amazement. 

"  Where  has  this  fine  crop  sprung  from  ?  "  said  L 

"  From  the  earth,"  she  replied  laughing, "  where  Franz  and 
I  sowed  the  seed  I  brought  from  the  wreck.  The  ground  wa§ 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   BOBrNBOlT.  141 

ready  tilled  by  yon  and  the  boys  ;  all  we  had  to  do  was  to 
scatter  the  seed.'' 

I  was  delighted  at  the  sight,  and  it  augured  well,  I  thought, 
for  the  success  of  my  maize  plantation.  We  hurried  to  the 
field.  The  crop  had  indeed  grown  well,  and,  what  was  more, 
appeared  to  be  duly  appreciated.  A  tremendous  flock  of 
feathered  thieves  rose  as  we  approached.  Among  them 
Fritz  espied  a  few  ruffed  grouse,  and,  quick  as  thought,  un- 
heeding his  eagle,  he  started  him  off  in  chase,  then  sprang  on 
hte  onager  and  followed  at  full  gallop.  His  noble  bird  marked 
out  the  finest  grouse,  and,  soaring  high  above  it,  stooped  and 
bore  his  prey  to  the  ground.  Fritz  was  close  at  hand,  and 
springing  through  the  bushes  he  saved  the  bird  from  death, 
hooded  the  eagle's  eyes,  and  returned  triumphantly.  Jack 
had  not  stood  idle,  for  slipping  his  pet,  Fangs,  he  had  started 
him  among  some  quails  who  remained  upon  the  field,  and  to 
my  surprise  the  jackal  secured  some  dozen  of  the  birds,  bring- 
ing them  faithfully  to  his  master's  feet. 

We  then  turned  our  steps  toward  Falconhurst,  where  we 
were  refreshed  by  a  most  delicious  drink  the  mother  prepared 
for  us  :  the  stems  of  the  young  Indian  corn,  crushed,  strained, 
and  mixed  with  water  and  the  juice  of  the  sugar-cane. 

We  then  made  preparations  for  an  excursion  the  following 
day,  for  I  wished  to  establish  a  sort  of  semi-civilized  farm  at 
some  distance  from  Falconhurst,  where  we  might  place  some 
of  our  animals,  which  had  become  too  numerous  with  our 
limited  means  to  supply  them  with  food.  In  the  large  cart, 
to  which  we  harnessed  the  buffalo,  cow,  and  ass,  we  placed  a 
dozen  fowls,  four  young  pigs,  two  couple  of  sheep,  and  as 
many  goats,  and  a  pair  of  hens  and  one  cock  grouse.  Fritz 
led  the  way  on  his  onager,  and  by  a  new  track  we  forced  a 
passage  through  the  woods  and  tall  grasses  toward  Cape  Dis- 
appointment. 

The  difficult  march  was  at  length  over,  and  we  emerged 
from  the  forest  upon  a  large  plain  covered  with  curious  little 
bushes  ;  the  branches  of  these  little  shrubs  and  the  ground 
about  them  were  covered  with  pure  white  flakes. 

"  Snow  !  snow  !  "  exclaimed  Franz.  "  Oh,  mother,  come 
down  from  the  cart  and  play  snowballs.  This  is  jolly ;  much 
better  than  the  ugly  rain." 

I  was  not  surprised  at  the  boy's  mistake,  for  indeed  the 
flakes  did  look  like  snow ;  but  before  I  could  express  my 
opinion,  Fritz  declared  that  the  plant  must  be  a  kind  of  dwarf 
cotton  tree.  We  approached  nearer  and  f  oujnd  he  was  right— 


142  THB   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON; 

soft  fine  wool  inclosed  in  pods,  and  still  hanging  on  the  bushes 
or  lying  on  the  ground,  abounded  in  every  direction.  We  had 
indeed  discovered  this  valuable  plant.  The  mother  was 
charmed  ;  and  gathering  a  great  quantity  in  three  capacious 
bags,  we  resumed  our  journey. 

Crossing  the  cotton  field  we  ascended  a  pretty  wooded  hill. 
The  view  from  the  summit  was  glorious  :  luxuriant  grass  at 
our  feet  stretching  down  the  hillside,  dotted  here  and  there 
with  shady  trees,  among  which  gushed  down  a  sparkling 
brook,  while  below  lay  the  rich  green  forest,  with  the  sea 
beyond. 

What  better  situation  could  we  hope  to  find  for  our  new 
farm  ?  Pasture,  water,  shade,  and  shelter,  all  were  here. 

We  pitched  our  tent,  built  our  fireplace,  and  leaving  the 
mother  to  prepare  our  repast,  Fritz  and  I  selected  a  spot  for 
the  erection  of  our  shed.  We  soon  found  a  group  of  trees  so 
situated  that  the  trunks  would  serve  as  posts  for  our  intended 
building.  Thither  we  carried  all  our  tools,  and  then,  as  the 
iay  was  far  advanced,  enjoyed  our  supper,  and  lay  down  upon 
most  comfortable  beds,  which  the  mother  had  prepared  for  us 
with  the  cotton. 

The  group  of  trees  we  had  selected  was  exactly  suited  to  our 
purpose,  for  it  formed  a  regular  rectilinear  figure,  the  greatest 
side  of  which  faced  the  sea.  I  cut  deep  mortices  in  the  trunks 
about  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  and  again  ten  feet  higher  up 
to  form  a  second  story.  In  these  mortices  I  inserted  beams, 
thus  forming  a  framework  for  my  building,  and  then,  making 
a  roof  of  laths,  I  overlaid  it  with  bark,  which  I  stripped  from 
a  neighboring  tree,  and  fixed  with  acacia  thorns,  and  which 
would  effectually  shoot  off  any  amount  of  rain. 

While  clearing  up  the  scraps  of  bark  and  other  rubbish  for 
fuel  for  our  fire,  I  noticed  a  peculiar  smell,  and  stooping  down 
I  picked  up  pieces  of  the  bark,  some  of  which,  to  my  great 
surprise,.  I  found  was  that  of  the  terebinth  tree,  and  the  rest 
that  of  the  American  fir.  The  goats,  too,  made  an  important 
discovery  among  the  same  heap,  for  we  found  them  busily 
rooting  out  pieces  of  cinnamon,  a  most  delicious  and  aromatio 
•pice. 

"  From  the  fir,"  said  I  to  the  boys,  "  we  get  turpentine  and 
tar,  and  thus  it  is  that  the  fir  tree  becomes  such  a  valuable  ar- 
ticle of  commerce.  So  we  may  look  forward  to  preparing 
pitch  for  our  yacht,  with  tar  and  oil,  you  know,  and  cart- 
grease,  too,  with  tar  and  fat.  I  do  not  know  that  you  will 
equally  appreciate  the  terebinth  tree ;  a  gum  issues  from 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON.  148 

incisions  in  the  bark  which  hardens  in  the  sun,  and  becomes 
as  transparent  as  amber ;  when  burned  it  gives  forth  a  most 
delicious  perfume,  and  when  dissolved  in  spirits  of  wine,  forms 
a  beautiful  transparent  varnish." 

The  completion  of  our  new  farmhouse  occupied  us  several 
days  ;  we  wove  strong  lianas  and  other  creepers  together  to 
form  the  walls  to  the  height  of  about  six  feet ;  the  rest,  up  to 
the  roof,  we  formed  merely  of  a  lattice-work  of  laths  to  admit 
both  air  and  light.  Within  we  divided  the  house  into  three 
parts  ;  one  subdivided  into  stalls  for  the  animals  ;  a  second 
fitted  with  perches  for  the  birds,  and  a  third,  simply  fur- 
nished with  a  rough  table  and  benches,  to  serve  as  a  sleeping 
apartment  for  ourselves,  when  we  should  find  it  necessary  to 
pay  the  place  a  visit.  In  a  short  time  the  dwelling  was  most 
comfortably  arranged,  and  as  we  daily  filled  the  feeding 
troughs  with  the  food  the  animals  best  liked,  they  showeq 
no  inclination  to  desert  the  spot  we  had  chosen  for  them. 

Yet,  hard  as  we  had  worked,  we  found  that  the  provisions 
we  had  brought  with  us  would  be  exhausted  before  we  could 
hope  to  be  able  to  leave  the  farm.  I  therefore  dispatched 
Jack  and  Fritz  for  fresh  supplies. 

During  their  absence,  Ernest  and  I  made  a  short  excursion 
in  the  neighborhood,  that  we  might  know  more  exactly  the 
character  of  the  country  near  our  farm. 

Passing  over  a  brook  which  flowed  toward  the  wall  of  rocks, 
we  reached  a  large  marsh,  and  as  we  walked  round  it,  I 
noticed  with  delight  that  it  was  covered  with  the  rice  plant 
growing  wild  in  the  greatest  profusion.  Here  and  there  only 
were  there  any  ripe  plants,  and  from  these  rose  a  number  of 
ruffed  grouse,  at  which  both  Ernest  and  I  let  fly.  Two  fell, 
and  Fangs,  who  was  with  us,  brought  them  to  our  feet.  As 
we  advanced,  Knips  skipped  from  the  back  of  his  steed  Juno 
and  began  to  regale  himself  on  some  fruit,  at  a  short  dis- 
tance off  ;  we  followed  the  little  animal  and  found  him 
devouring  delicious  strawberries.  Having  enjoyed  the  fruit 
ourselves,  we  filled  the  hamper  Knips  always  carried,  and 
secured  the  fruit  from  his  pilfering  paws  with  leaves  fixed ' 
firmly  down. 

I  then  took  a  sample  of  the  rice  seeds  to  show  the  mother, 
and  we  continued  our  journey. 

Presently  we  reached  the  borders  of  the  pretty  lake  which 
we  had  seen  beyond  the  swamp.  The  nearer  aspect  of  its 
calm  blue  waters  greatly  charmed  us,  and  still  more  so  the 
sight  of  numbers  of  black  swans,  disporting  themselves  on  the 


144  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBIKSOK. 

glassy  surface,  in  which  their  stately  forms  and  graceful 
movements  were  reflected  as  in  a  mirror.  It  was  delightful 
to  watch  these  splendid  birds,  old  and  young  swimming  to- 
gether in  the  peaceful  enjoyment  of  life,  seeking  their  food, 
and  pursuing  one  another  playfully  in  the  water. 

I  could  not  think  of  breaking  in  upon  their  happy,  beautiful 
existence  by  firing  among  them,  but  our  dog  Juno  was  by  no 
means  so  considerate  ;  for  al'i  at  once  I  heard  a  plunge,  and 
saw  her  drag  out  of  the  water  a  most  peculiar-looking  creature 
something  like  a  small  otter,  but  not  above  twenty-two  incher 
in  length,  which  she  would  have  torn  to  pieces  had  we  not 
hurried  up  and  taken  it  from  her. 

This  curious  little  animal  was  of  a  soft,  dark  brown  color, 
the  fur  being  of  a  lighter  shade  under  the  body  ;  its  feet 
were  furnished  with  large  claws,  and  also  completely  webbed, 
the  head  small,  with  deeply  set  eyes  and  ears,  and  terminating 
in  a  broad  flat  bill  like  that  of  a  duck. 

This  singularity  seemed  to  us  so  droll  that  we  both  laughed 
heartily,  feeling  at  the  same  time  much  puzzled  to  know  what 
sort  of  animal  it  could  possibly  be.  For  want  of  a  better,  we 
gave  it  the  name  of  the  "  Beast  with  a  Bill,"  and  Ernest 
willingly  undertook  to  cany  it,  that  it  might  be  stuffed  and 
kept  as  a  curiosity. 

After  this  we  returned  to  the  farm,  thinking  our  mes- 
sengers might  soon  arrive,  and  sure  enough,  in  about  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  Fritz  and  Jack  made  their  appearance  at  a 
brisk  trot,  and  gave  a  circumstantial  account  of  their 
mission. 

I  was  pleased  to  see  that  they  had  fulfilled  their  orders 
intelligently,  carrying  out  my  intentions  in  the  spirit  and  not 
blindly  to  the  letter. 

Next  morning  we  quitted  the  farm  (which  we  named 
Woodlands),  after  providing  amply  for  the  wants  of  the 
animals,  sheep,  goats,  and  poultry  which  we  left  there. 

Shortly  afterward,  on  entering  a  wood,  we  found  it  tenanted 
by  an  enormous  number  of  apes,  who  instantly  assailed  us 
with  showers  of  fir-cones,  uttering  hideous  and  angry  cries, 
and  effectually  checking  our  progress,  until  we  put  them  to 
flight  by  a  couple  of  shots,  which  not  a  little  astonished  their 
weak  minds. 

Fritz  picked  up  some  of  their  missiles,  and?  showing  them 
to  me,  I  recognized  the  cone  of  the  stone-pine. 

"  By  all  means  gather  some  of  these  cones,  boys,"  said  I ; 
"  you  will  find  the  kernel  has  a.  nleasant  taste,  like  almonds, 


THB   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  145 

and  from  it  we  can,  by  pressing,  obtain  an  excellent  oil. 
Therefore  I  should  like  to  carry  some  home  with  us." 

A  hill,  which  seemed  to  promise  a  good  view  from  its 
summit,  next  attracted  my  notice,  and,  on  climbing  it,  we 
were  more  than  repaid  for  the  exertion  by  the  extensive  and 
beautiful  prospect  which  lay  spread  before  our  j  eyes.  The 
situation  altogether  was  so  agreeable,  that  here  also  I  resolved 
to  make  a  settlement,  to  be  visited  occasionally,  and,  after 
resting  awhile  and  talking  the  matter  over,  we  set  to  work  to 
build  a  cottage  such  as  we  had  lately  finished  at  Woodlands 
Our  experience  there  enabled  us  to  proceed  quickly  with  thi 
work,  and  in  a  few  days  the  rustic  abode  was  completed,  and 
received,  by  Ernest's  choice,  the  grand  name  of  Prospect  Hill. 

My  chief  object  in  undertaking  this  expedition  had  been  to 
discover  some  tree  from  whose  bark  I  could  hope  to  make  a 
useful  light  boat  or  canoe.  Hitherto  I  had  met  with  none  at 
all  fit  for  my  purpose,  but,  not  despairing  of  success,  I  began, 
when  the  cottage  was  built,  to  examine  carefully  the  surround- 
ing woods,  and,  after  considerable  trouble,  came  upon  two 
magnificent,  tall,[straight  trees,  the  bark  of  which  seemed  some- 
thing like  that  of  the  birch.  Selecting  one  whose  trunk  was, 
to  a  great  height,  free  from  branches,  we  attached  to  one  of 
the  lower  of  the  boughs  the  rope  ladder  we  had  with  us, 
and  Fritz,  ascending  it,  cut  the  bark  through  in  a  circle ;  I 
did  the  same  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  then,  from  between 
the  circle  we  took  a  narrow  perpendicular  slip  of  bark  entirely 
out,  so  that  we  could  introduce  the  proper  tools  by  which 
gradually  to  loosen  and  raise  the  main  part,  so  as  finally  to 
separate  it  from  the  tree  uninjured  and  entire.  This  we  found 
possible,  because  the  bark  was  moist  and  flexible.  Great  care 
and  exertion  was  necessary,  as  the  bark  became  detached,  to 
support  it,  until  the  whole  was  ready  to  be  let  gently  down 
upon  the  grass.  This  seemed  a  great  achievement  ;  but  our 
work  was  by  no  means  ended,  nor  could  we  venture  to  desist 
from  it  until,  while  the  material  was  soft  and  pliable,  we  had 
formed  it  into  the  shape  we  desired  for  the  canoe. 

In  order  to  do  this,  I  cut  a  long  triangular  piece  out  of  each 
end  of  the  roll,  and,  placing  the  sloping  parts  one  over  the 
other,  I  drew  the  ends  into  a  pointed  form  and  secured  them 
with  pegs  and  glue. 

This  successful  proceeding  had,  however,  widened  the  boat, 
and  made  it  too  flat  in  the  middle,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to 
put  ropes  round  it,  and  tighten  them  until  the  proper  shape 
was  restored,  before  we  could  allow  it  to  dry  in  the  sun. 


146  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

This  being  all  I  could  do  without  a  greater  variety  of 
I  determined  to  complete  my  work  in  a  more  convenient  situa- 
tion, and  forthwith  dispatched  Fritz  and  Jack  with  orders  to 
bring  the  sledge  (which  now  ran  on  wheels  taken  from  gun- 
carriages)  that  the  canoe  might  be  transported  direct  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  harbor  at  Tentholm. 

During  their  absence  I  fortunately  found  some  wood 
naturally  curved,  just  suited  for  ribs  to  support  and  strengthen 
the  sides  of  the  boat. 

When  the  two  lads  returned  with  the  sledge,  it  was  time  to 
rest  for  the  night ;  but  with  early  dawn  we  were  again  busily 
at  work. 

The  sledge  was  loaded  with  the  new  boat,  and  everything 
else  we  could  pack  into  it,  and  we  turned  our  steps  homeward, 
finding  the  greatest  difficulty,  however,  in  getting  our  vehicle 
through  the  woods.  We  crossed  the  bamboo  swamp,  where 
I  cut  a  fine  mast  for  my  boat,  and  came  at  length  to  a  small 
opening  or  defile  in  the  ridge  of  rocks,  where  a  little  torrent 
rushed  from  its  source  down  into  the  larger  stream  beyond  ; 
here  we  determined  to  make  a  halt,  in  order  to  erect  a  great 
earth  wall  across  the  narrow  gorge,  which,  being  thickly 
planted  with  prickly  pear,  Indian  fig,  and  every  thorny  bush 
we  could  find,  would  in  time  form  an  effectual  barrier  against 
the  intrusion  of  wild  beasts,  the  cliffs  being,  to  the  best  of  our 
belief,  in  every  other  part  inaccessible.  For  our  own  conven- 
ience we  retained  a  small  winding-path  through  this  barrier, 
concealing  and  defending  it  with  piles  of  branches  and  thorns, 
and  also  we  contrived  a  light  drawbridge  over  the  stream,  so 
that  we  rendered  the  pass  altogether  a  very  strong  position, 
should  we  ever  have  to  act  on  the  defensive. 

This  work  occupied  two  days,  and  continuing  on  our  way, 
we  were  glad  to  rest  at  Falconhurst  before  arriving  (quite  tired 
and  worn  out)  at  Tentholm. 

It  took  some  time  to  recruit  our  strength  after  this  long  and 
fatiguing  expedition,  and  then  we  vigorously  resumed  the  task 
of  finishing  the  canoe.  The  arrangements,  I  flattered  myself, 
were  carried  out  in  a  manner  quite  worthy  of  a  ship  builder  ; 
a  mast,  sails,  and  paddles  were  fitted,  but  my  final  touch,  al- 
though I  prized  it  highly  and  considered  it  a  grand  and  origi- 
nal idea,  would  no  doubt  have  excited  only  ridicule  and  con- 
tempt had  it  been  seen  by  a  naval  man.  My  contrivance  was 
this  :  I  had  a  couple  of  large  air-tight  bags  made  of  the 
•kins  of  the  dog-fish,  well  tarred  and  pitched,  inflated,  and 
made  fast  on  each  side  of  the  boat,  just  above  the  level  of  the 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSOW.  14? 

water.  These  floats,  however  much  she  might  be  loaded, 
would  effectually  prevent  either  the  sinking  or  capsizing  of  my 
craft. 

I  may  as  well  relate  in  this  place  what  I  omitted  at  the  time 
of  its  occurrence.  During  the  rainy  season  our  cow  presented 
us  with  a  bull-calf,  and  that  there  might  never  be  any  difficulty 
in  managing  him,  I  at  a  very  early  age  pierced  his  nose  and 
placed  a  short  stick  in  it,  to  be  exchanged  for  a  ring  when  he 
was  old  enough.  The  question  now  came  to  be,  who  should 
be  his  master,  and  to  what  should  we  train  him  ? 

"  Why  not  teach  him,"  said  Fritz,  "  to  fight  the  wild  ani« 
mals,  and  defend  us,  like  the  fighting  bulls  of  the  Hottentots  S 
That  would  be  really  useful  ! " 

"  I  am  sure  I  should  much  prefer  a  gentle  bull  to  a  fighting 
one  !  "  exclaimed  his  mother  ;  "  but  do  you  mean  to  say  tame 
oxen  can  be  taught  to  act  rationally  on  the  defensive  ?  " 

"  I  can  bnt  repeat  what  I  have  heard  or  read,"  replied  I, 
"  as  regards  the  race  of  Hottentots  who  inhabit  the  south  of 
Africa,  among  all  sorts  of  wild  and  ferocious  animals. 

"  The  wealth  of  these  people  consists  solely  in  their  flocks 
and  herds,  and,  for  their  protection,  they  train  their  bulls  to 
act  as  guards. 

"  These  courageous  animals  keep  the  rest  from  straying 
away,  and  when  danger  threatens,  they  give  instant  notice  of 
it,  drive  the  herd  together  in  a  mass,  the  calves  and  young 
cows  being  placed  in  the  center  ;  around  them  the  bulls  and 
strong  oxen  make  a  formidable  circle  with  their  horned  heads 
turned  to  the  front,  offering  determined  resistance  to  the 
fiercest  foe. 

"  These  fighting  bulls  will  even  sometimes  rush  with  dread- 
ful bellowing  to  meet  the  enemy  ;  and  should  it  be  a  mighty 
iion  or  other  strong  and  daring  monster,  sacrifice  their  own 
aves  in  defense  of  the  herd. 

"It  is  said  that  formerly,  when  Hottentot  tribes  made  war 
on  one  another,  it  was  not  unusual  to  place  a  troop  of  these 
stout-hearted  warriors  in  the  van  of  the  little  army,  when  their 
heroism  led  to  decisive  victory  on  one  side  or  the  other. 

"  But,"  continued  I,  "  although  I  can  see  you  are  all  de- 
lighted with  my  description  of  these  fine,  warlike  animals,  I 
think  we  had  better  train  this  youngster  to  be  a  peaceable 
bull.  Who  is  to  have  charge  of  him  ?  " 

Ernest  thought  it  would  be  more  amusing  to  train  hia 
monkey  than  a  calf.  Jack,  with  the  buffalo  and  his  hunting 
jackal,  had  quite  enough  on  his  hands.  Fritz  was  content 


148  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

•with  the  onager.  Their  mother  was  voted  mistress  of  the  old 
gray  donkey.  And  I  myself  being  superintendent-in-chief  of 
the  whole  establishment  of  animals,  there  remained  only  little 
Franz  to  whose  special  care  the  calf  could  be  committed. 

"  What  say  you,  my  boy — will  you  undertake  to  look  after 
this  little  fellow?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  father  !  "  he  replied.  "  Once  you  told  me  about 
»  strong  man,  I  think  his  name  was  Milo,  and  he  had  a  tiny 
ealf,  and  he  used  to  carry  it  about  everywhere.  It  grew 
bigger  and  bigger,  but  still  he  carried  it  often,  till  a*  last  he 
grew  so  strong  that  when  it  was  quite  a  great  big  ox,  he  could 
lift  it  as  easily  as  ever.  And  so,  you  see,  if  I  take  care  of 
our  wee  calf  and  teach  it  to  do  what  I  like,  perhaps  when  it 
grows  big  I  shall  still  be  able  to  manage  it,  and  then — oh, 
papa — do  you  think  I  might  ride  upon  it  ?  " 

I  smiled  at  the  child's  simplicity,  and  his  funny  application 
of  the  story  of  Milo  of  Cortona. 

"  The  calf  shall  be  yours,  my  boy.  Make  him  an  tame  as 
you  can,  and  we  will  see  about  letting  you  mount  him  some 
day  ;  but  remember,  he  will  be  a  great  bull  long  before  you 
are  nearly  a  man.  Now,  what  will  you  call  him  ?  " 

"  Shall  I  call  him  Grumble,  father  ?  Hear  what  a  low 
muttering  noise  he  makes  !  " 

"  Grumble  will  do  famously." 

"Grumble,  Grumble.  Oh,  it  beats  your  buffalo's  name 
hollow,  Jack !  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  he  ;  "  why,  you  can't  compare  the  two 
names.  Fancy  mother  saying,  '  Here  comes  Franz  on  Grum- 
ble, but  Jack  riding  on  the  Storm.1  Oh,  it  sounds  sublime  !  " 

We  named  the  two  puppies  Bruno  and  Fawn,  and  so  ended 
this  important  domestic  business. 

For  Jtwo  months  we  worked  steadily  at  our  salt-cave,  in 
order  to  complete  the  necessary  arrangement  of  partition 
walls,  so  as  to  put  the  rooms  and  stalls  for  the  animals  in 
comfortable  order  for  the  next  long  rainy  season,  during 
which  time,  when  other  work  would  be  at  a  standstill,  we 
could  carry  on  many  minor  details  for  the  improvement  of 
the  abode. 

We  leveled  the  floors  first  with  clay ;  then  spread  gravel 
mixed  with  melted  gypsum  over  that,  producing  a  smooth, 
hard  surface,  which  did  very  well  for  most  of  the  apartments  ; 
but  I  was  ambitious  of  having  one  or  two  carpets,  and  set 
about  making  a  kind  of  felt  in  the  following  way  : 

I  spread    out  a  large  p.iece    of  sailcloth,  and  covered  it 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY    3OBINSON.  140 

equally  ail  over  with  a  strong  liquid,  made  of  glue  and  isin- 
glass, which  saturated  it  thoroughly.  On  it  we  then  laid 
wool  and  hair  from  the  sheep  and  goats,  which  had  been  care- 
fully cleaned  and  prepared,  and  rolled  and  beat  it  until  it  ad- 
hered tolerably  smoothly  to  the  cloth.  Finally  it  became, 
when  perfectly  dry,  a  covering  for  the  floor  of  our  sitting 
room  by  no  means  to  be  despised. 

One  morning,  just  after  these  labors  at  the  salt-cave  were 
completed,  happening  to  awake  unusually  early,  I  turned  my 
thoughts,  as  I  lay  waiting  for  sunrise,  to  considering  what 
length  of  time  we  had  now  passed  on  this  coast,  and  dis- 
covered, to  my  surprise,  that  the  very  next  day  would  be  the 
anniversary  of  our  escape  from  the  wreck.  My  heart  swelled 
with  gratitude  to  the  gracious  God,  who  had  then  granted  us 
deliverance,  and  ever  since  had  loaded  us  with  benefits  ;  and 
I  resolved  to  set  to-morrow  apart  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving,  in 
joyful  celebration  of  the  occasion. 

My  mind  was  full  of  indefinita  plans  when  I  rose,  and  the 
day's  work  began  as  usual.  I  took  care  that  everything 
should  be  cleaned,  cleared,  and  set  in  order  both  outside  and 
inside  our  dwelling;  none,  however,  suspecting  that  there 
was  any  particular  object  in  view.  Other  more  private  prep- 
arations I  also  made  for  the  next  day.  At  supper  I  made 
the  coming  event  known  to  the  assembled  family. 

"Good  people,  do  you  know  that  to-morrow  is  a  very 
great  and  important  day  ?  We  shall  have  to  keep  it  in 
honor  of  our  merciful  escape  to  this  land,  and  call  it  Thanks- 
giving-Day." 

Everyone  was  surprised  to  hear  that  we  had  already  been 
twelve  months  in  the  country — indeed,  my  wife  believed  I 
might  be  mistaken,  until  I  showed  her  how  I  had  calculated 
regularly  ever  since  the  31st  of  January,  on  which  day  we 
were  wrecked,  by  marking  off  in  my  almanac  the  Sundays  as 
they  arrived  for  the  remaining  eleven  months  of  that  year.  i 

"  Since  then,"  I  added, "  I  have  counted  thirty-one  days.  This 
is  the  1st  of  February.  We  landed  on  the  2d,  therefore 
to-morrow  is  the  anniversary  of  the  day  of  our  escape.  As 
my  bookseller  has  not  sent  me  an  almanac  for  the  present 
year,  we  must  henceforth  reckon  for  ourselves." 

"  Oh,  that  will  be  good  fun  for  us,"  said  Ernest.  "  We 
must  have  a  long  stick,  like  Robinson  Crusoe,  and  cut  a  notch 
in  it  every  day,  and  count  them  up  every  now  and  then,  to 
aee  how  the  weeks  and  months  and  years  go  by." 

"That  is  all  very  well,  if  you  know  for  certain  the  numbar 


150  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBISTSOW. 

of  days  in  each  month,  and  in  the  year.     What  do  you  0x3 
Ernest  ?  " 

"  The  year  contains  365  days,  5  hours,  48  minutes,  and  4J 
seconds,"  returned  he  promptly. 

"  Perfectly  correct !  "  said  1,  smiling  ;  "  but  you  would  gel 
in  a  mess  with  those  spare  hours,  minutes,  and  seconds  in  a 
vear  or  two,  wouldn't  you  ?  "  , 

"  Not  at  all !  Every  four  years  I  would  add  them  all 
together,  make  a  day,  stick  it  into  February,  and  call  that 
year  leap  year." 

"  Well  done,  Professor  Ernest !  We  must  elect  you 
astronomer  royal  in  this  our  kingdom,  and  let  you  superin- 
tend and  regulate  everything  connected  with  the  lapse  of 
time,  clocks  and  watches  included." 

Before  they  went  to  sleep,  I  could  hear  my  boys  whisper- 
ing among  themselves,  about  "father's mysterious  allusions'* 
to  next  day's  festival  and  rejoicings  ;  but  I  offered  no  ex- 
planations, and  went  to  sleep,  little  guessing  that  the  rogues 
had  laid  a  counter-plot,  far  more  surprising  than  my  simple 
plan  for  their  diversion. 

Nothing  less  than  roar  of  artillery  startled  me  from  sleep 
at  daybreak  next  morning.  I  sprang  up  and  found  my  wife 
as  much  alarmed  as  I  was  by  the  noise,  otherwise  I  should 
have  been  inclined  to  believe  it  fancy. 

"  Fritz  !  dress  quickly  and  come  with  me  ! "  cried  I,  turning 
to  his  hammock.  Lo,  it  was  empty !  neither  he  nor  Jack 
were  to  be  seen. 

Altogether  bewildered,  I  was  hastily  dressing,  when  their 
voices  were  heard,  and  they  rushed  in  shouting  : 

"  Hurrah  !  didn't  we  rouse  you  with  a  right  good  thunder* 
ing  salute  ?  " 

But  perceiving  at  a  glance  that  we  had  been  seriously 
alarmed,  Fritz  hastened  to  apologize  for  the  thoughtless  way 
in  which  they  had  sought  to  do  honor  to  the  Day  of  Thanks* 
giving,  without  considering  that  an  unexpected  cannon-shot 
would  startle  us  unpleasantly  from  our  slumbers. 

We  readily  forgave  the  authors  of  our  alarm,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  good  intention  which  had  prompted  the  deed,  and, 
satisfied  that  the  day  had  at  least  been  duly  inaugurated,  we 
all  went  quietly  to  breakfast. 

Afterward  we  sat  together  for  a  long  time,  enjoying  the 
calm  beauty  of  the  morning,  and  talking  of  all  that  had  taken 
place  on  the  memorable  days  of  the  storm  a  year  ago  ;  for  I 
desired  that  the  awful  events  of  that  time  should  live  in  the 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  151 

remembrance  of  my  children  with  a  deepening  sense  of  grat* 
tude  for  our  deliverance.  Therefore  I  read  aloud  passages 
from  my  journal,  as  well  as  many  beautiful  verses  from  the 
Psalms,  expressive  of  joyful  praise  and  thanksgiving,  so  that 
even  the  youngest  among  us  was  impressed  and  solemnized  at 
the  recollections  of  escape  from  a  terrible  death,  and  also  led 
to  bless  and  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord  our  Deliverer. 

Dinner  followed  shortly  after  this  happy  service,  and  I  then 
announced  for  the  afternoon  a  "  Grand  Display  of  Athletic 
Sports,"  in  which  I  and  my  wife  were  to  be  spectators  an<? 
fudges. 

"  Father,  what  a  grand  idea  ! " 

"  Oh,  how  jolly  !     Are  we  to  run  races  ?  " 

"  And  prizes  !     Will  there  be  prizes,  father  ?  " 

"  The  judges  offer  prizes  for  competition  in  every  sort  ot 
manly  exercise,"  replied  I.  "  Shooting,  running,  riding,  leap- 
ing, climbing,  swimming;  we  will  have  an  exhibition  of  your 
skill  in  all.  Now  for  it !  " 

"  Trumpeters  !  sound  for  the  opening  of  the  lists." 

Uttering  these  last  words  in  a  stentorian  voice  and  wildly 
waving  my  arms  toward  a  shady  spot,  where  the  ducks  and 
geese  were  quietly  resting,  had  the  absurd  effect  I  intended. 

Up  they  all  started  in  a  fright,  gabbling  and  quacking  loud' 
ly,  to  the  infinite  amusement  of  the  children,  who  began  to 
bustle  about  in  eager  preparations  for  the  contest,  and  begging 
to  know  with  what  they  were  to  begin. 

"  Let  us  have  shooting  first,  and  the  rest  when  the  heat  of 
the  day  declines.  Here  is  a  mark  I  have  got  ready  for  you," 
said  I,  producing  a  board  roughly  shaped  like  a  kangaroo,  and 
of  about  the  size  of  one.  This  target  was  admired,  but  Jack 
could  not  rest  satisfied  till  he  had  added  ears,  and  a  long 
leather  strap  for  a  tail. 

It  was  then  fixed  in  the  attitude  most  characteristic  of  the 
sreature,  and  the  distance  for  firing  measured  off.  Each  of 
the  three  competitors  was  to  fire  twice. 

Fritz  hit  the  kangaroo's  head  each  time  ;  Ernest  hit  the  body 
once  ;  and  Jack,  by  a  lucky  chance,  shot  the  ears  clean  away 
from  the  head,  which  feat  raised  a  shout  of  laughter. 

A  second  trial  with  pistols  ensued,  in  which  Fritz  again 
came  off  victor. 

Then  desiring  the  competitors  to  load  with  small  shot,  I 
threw  a  little  board  as  high  as  I  possibly  could  up  in  the  air, 
each  in  turn  aiming  at  and  endeavoring  to  bit  it  before  it 
touched  the  ground. 


1$2  THE    SWISS   FAMILY    EOBINSON. 

In  this  I  found  to  my  surprise  that  the  sedate  Ernest  Stu* 
ceeded  quite  as  well  as  his  more  impetuous  brother  Fritz. 

As  for  Jack,  his  flying  board  escaped  wholly  uninjured. 

After  this  followed  archery,  which  I  liked  to  encourage, 
foreseeing  that  a  time  might  come  when  ammunition  would 
fail ;  and  in  this  practice  I  saw  with  pleasure  that  my  elder 
sons  were  really  skillful,  while  even  little  Franz  acquitted  him- 
self well. 

A  pause  ensued,  and  then  I  started  a  running  match. 

Fritz,  Ernest,  and  Jack  were  to  run  to  Falconhurst,  by  the 
most  direct  path.  The  first  to  reach  the  tree  was  to  bring  me, 
in  proof  of  his  success,  a  penknife  I  had  accidentally  left  on 
the  table  in  my  sleepingroom. 

At  a  given  signal,  away  went  the  racers  in  fine  style.  Fritz 
and  Jack,  putting  forth  all  their  powers,  took  the  lead  at 
once,  running  in  advance  of  Ernest,  who  started  at  a  good, 
steady  pace,  which  I  predicted  he  would  be  better  able  to 
maintain  than  such  a  furious  rate  as  his  brothers. 

But  long  before  we  expected  to  see  them  back,  a  tremendous 
noise  of  galloping  caused  us  to  look  with  surprise  toward  the 
bridge,  and  Jack  made  his  appearance,  thundering  along  on 
his  buffalo,  with  the  onager  and  the  donkey  tearing  after  him 
riderless,  and  the  whole  party  in  the  wildest  spirits. 

"Hullo  1"  cried  I,  "what  sort  of  footrace  do  you  call  this, 
Master  Jack?" 

He  shouted  merrily  as  he  dashed  up  to  us ;  then  flinging 
himself  off  and  saluting  us  in  a  playful  way  : 

"I  very  soon  saw,"  said  he,  "that  I  hadn't  a  chance  ;  so  re- 
nouncing all  idea  of  the  prize,  I  caught  Storm,  and  made  him 
gallop  home  with  me,  to  be  in  time  to  see  the  others  come 
pufiing  in.  Lightfoot  and  old  Grizzle  chose  to  join  me — I 
never  invited  them  ! " 

By  and  by  the  other  boys  arrived,  Ernest  holding  up  the 
knife  in  token  of  being  the  winner  ;  and  after  hearing  all  par- 
ticulars about  the  running,  and  that  he  had  reached  Falcon- 
hurst  two  minutes  before  Fritz,  we  proceeded  to  test  the 
climbing  powers  of  the  youthful  athletes. 

In  this  exercise  Jack  performed  wonders.  He  ascended 
with  remarkable  agility  the  highest  palms  whose  stems  he 
could  clasp.  And  when  he  put  on  the  shark-skin  buskins, 
which  enabled  him  to  take  firm  hold  of  larger  trees,  he  played 
antics  like  a  squirrel  or  a  monkey,  peeping  and  grinning  at  us, 
at  first  on  one  aide  of  the  stem,  and  then  on  the  other,  hi  a 
most  diverting  way. 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBUSBON.  153 

Fritz  and  Ernest  climbed  well,  but  could  not  come  neat  the 
grace  and  skill  of  their  active  and  lively  young  brother. 

Riding  followed,  and  marvelous  feats  were  performed,  Frit* 
and  Jack  proving  themselves  very  equal  in  their  management 
of  their  different  steeds. 

I  thought  the  riding  was  over,  when  little  Franz  appeared 
from  the  stable  in  the  cave,  leading  young  Grumble,  the  bull- 
calf,  with  a  neat  saddle  of  kangaroo  hide,  and  a  bridle  passed 
through  his  nose  ring. 

The  child  saluted  us  with  a  pretty  little  air  of  confidence, 
exclaiming  : 

"  Now,  most  learned  judges,  prepare  to  see  something  quite 
flew  and  wonderful !  The  great  bull-tamer,  Milo  of  Cortona, 
desires  the  honor  of  exhibiting  before  you." 

Then  taking  a  whip,  and  holding  the  end  of  a  long  cord,  he 
made  the  animal,  at  the  word  of  command,  walk,  trot,  and 
gallop  in  a  circle  round  him. 

He  afterward  mounted,  and  showed  off  Grumble's  some- 
what  awkward  paces. 

The  sports  were  concluded  by  swimming  matches,  and  the 
competitors  found  a  plunge  in  salt  water  very  refreshing  after 
their  varied  exertions. 

Fritz  showed  himself  a  master  in  the  art.  At  home  in 
the  element,  no  moment  betokened  either  exertion  or  weari- 
ness. 

Ernest  exhibited  too  much  anxiety  and  effort,  while  Jack  was 
far  too  violent  and  hasty,  and  soon  became  exhausted. 

Franz  gave  token  of  future  skill. 

By  this  time,  as  it  was  getting  late,  we  returned  to  our 
dwelling,  the  mother  having  preceded  us  in  order  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  ceremony  of  prize-giving. 

We  found  her  seated  in  great  state,  with  the  prizes  set  out 
by  her  side. 

The  boys  marched  in  pretending  to  play  various  instruments 
in  imitation  of  a  band,  and  then  all  four,  bowing  respectfully, 
stood  before  her,  like  the  victors  in  a  tournament  of  old,  await- 
ing the  reward  of  valor  from  the  Queen  of  Beauty,  which  she 
bestowed  with  a  few  words  of  praise  and  encouragement. 

Fritz,  to  his  immense  delight,  received,  as  the  prize  for  shoot1 
ing  and  swimming,  a  splendid  double-barreled  rifle,  and  ft 
beautiful  hunting-knife. 

To  Ernest,  as  winner  of  the  running  match,  was  given  a 
handsome  gold  watch. 

For  climbing  and  riding,  Jack  had  a  pair  of  silver  plated 


454  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   KOBiNBON. 

spurs,  and  a  riding  whip,  both  of  which  gave  him  extraordinary 
pleasure. 

Franz  received  a  pair  of  stirrups,  and  a  driving  whip  made 
of  rhinoceros  hide,  which  we  thought  would  be  of  use  to  hint 
in  the  character  of  bull-trainer. 

When  the  ceremony  was  supposed  to  be  over,  I  advanced, 
and  solemnly  presented  to  my  wife  a  lovely  work-box,  filled 
with  every  imaginable  requirement  for  a  lady's  work-table, 
which  she  accepted  with  equal  surprise  and  delight. 

The  whole  entertainment  afforded  the  boys  such  intense 
pleasure,  and  their  spirits  rose  to  such  a  pitch,  that  nothing 
would  serve  them  but  another  salvo  of  artillery,  in  order  to 
close  with  befitting  dignity  and  honor  so  great  a  day.  They 
gave  me  no  peace  till  they  had  leave  to  squander  some  gun- 
powder, and  then  at  last  their  excited  feelings  seeming  re» 
lieved,  we  were  able  to  sit  down  to  supper  j  shortly  afterward 
we  joined  in  familf  ^orship  and  retired  to  rest. 

Soon  after  the  ^  at  festival  of  our  grand  Thanksgiving- 
Day  I  recollected  that  it  was  now  the  time  when,  the  figs  at 
Falconhurst  being  ripe,  immense  flocks  of  ortolans  and  wild 
pigeons  were  attracted  thither,  and  as  we  had  found  those 
preserved  last  year  of  the  greatest  use  among  our  stores  of 
winter  provisions,  I  would  not  miss  the  opportunity  of  renewing 
our  stock ;  and  therefore,  laying  aside  the  building  work,  we 
removed  with  all  speed  to  our  home  in  the  tree,  wher^  sure 
enough  we  found  the  first  detachment  of  the  birds  already 
busy  witfa  the  fruit. 

In  order  to  spare  ammunition,  I  resolved  to  concoct  a  strong 
sort  of  birdlime,  of  which  I  had  read  in  some  account  of  the 
Palm  Islanders,  who  make  it  of  fresh  caoutchouc  mixed  with 
oil,  and  of  so  good  a  quality  that  it  has  been  known  to  catcli 
even  peacocks  and  turkeys. 

fritz  and  Jack  were  therefore  dispatched  to  collect  some 
fresh  caoutchouc  from  the  trees,  and  as  this  involved  a  good 
gallop  on  Storm  and  Lightfoot,  they,  nothing  loth,  set  off. 

They  took  a  supply  of  calabashes,  in  which  to  bring  the 
gum,  and  we  found  it  high  time  to  manufacture  a  fresh  stock 
of  these  useful  vessels.  I  was  beginning  to  propose  an  expedi. 
tion  to  the  Gourd-tree  Wood,  regretting  the  time  it  would  take 
to  go  such  a  distance,  when  my  wife  reminded  me  of  her  plan- 
tation near  the  potato  field. 

There  to  our  joy  we  found  that  all  the  plants  were  flourish- 
ing, and  crops  of  gourds  and  pumpkins,  in  aA  stages  of 
covered  the  ground. 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  155 

Selecting  a  great  number  suited  to  our  purpose,  we  hastened 
home,  and  began  the  manufacture  of  basins,  dishes,  plates, 
flasks,  and  spoons  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  with  even  greater 
success  than  before. 

When  the  riders  returned  with  the  caoutchouc,  they  brought 
several  novelties  besides. 

A  crane,  for  example,  shot  by  Fritz,  and  an  animal  which 
they  called  a  marmot,  but  which  to  me  seemed  much  more  like 
a  badger. 

Aniseed,  turpentine,  and  wax  berries  for  candles,  they  had 
also  collected,  and  a  curious  root  which  they  introduced  by 
the  name  of  the  monkey  plant. 

"  And  pray  wherefore  '  monkey  plant,'  may  I  ask  ?  " 

"  Well,  for  this  reason,  father,"  answered  Fritz  :  "  we  came 
upon  an  open  space  in  the  forest  near  Woodlands,  and  per- 
ceived a  troop  of  monkeys,  apparently  engaged,  as  Jack  said, 
in  cultivating  the  soil  !  Being  curious  to  make  out  what  they 
were  at,  we  tied  up  the  dogs,  as  well  as  Storm  and  Lightf  oot. 
and  crept  near  enough  to  see  that  the  apes  were  most  industri- 
ously grubbing  up  and  eating  roots.  This  they  did  in  a  way 
that  nearly  choked  us  with  laughter,  for  when  the  root  was 
rather  hard  to  pull  up,  and  the  leaves  were  torn  off,  they  seized 
it  firmly  in  their  teeth,  and  flung  themselves  fairly  heels-over- 
head in  the  most  ludicrous  fashion  you  ever  saw,  and  up  came 
the  root,  unable  to  resist  the  leverage  !  Of  course  we  wanted 
to  see  what  this  dainty  morsel  was  like,  so  we  loosed  the  dogs, 
and  the  apes  cleared  out  double  quick,  leaving  plenty  of  th« 
roots  about.  We  tasted  them,  and  thought  them  very  nice. 
Will  you  try  one  ?  " 

The  plant  was  quite  new  to  me,  but  I  imagined  it  might  be 
what  is  called  in  China  "  ginseng,"  and  there  prized  and  valued 
beyond  everything.  The  children  being  carious  to  hear  more 
about  this  ginseng,  I  continued  : 

"  In  China  it  is  considered  so  strengthening  and  wholesome 
that  it  is  used  as  a  sort  of  universal  medicine,  being  supposed 
to  prolong  human  life. 

"  The  emperor  alone  has  the  right  to  permit  it  to  be  gathered, 
and  guards  are  placed  round  land  where  it  grows. 

"  Ginseng  is  to  be  found  in  Tartary,  and  has  lately  been  dis- 
covered in  Canada  ;  it  is  cultivated  in  Pennsylvania,  because 
the  Americans  introduce  it  secretly  into  China  as  smuggled 
merchandise." 

Fritz  then  continued  : 

"After  this  we  went  on  to  Woodlands  ;  but  mercy  on  us  I 


156  THE   SWISS   FAMILY    BOBUTSON. 

what  a  confusion  the  place  was  in  I  Everything  smashed  of 
torn,  and  covered  with  mud  and  dirt ;  the  fowls  terrified, 
the  sheep  and  goats  scattered,  the  contents  of  the  rooms 
dashed  about  as  if  a  whirlwind  had  swept  though  the 
house." 

"  What ! "  I  exclaimed,  while  my  wife  looked  horrified  at 
the  news,  conjuring  up  in  her  imagination  hordes  of  savages 
who  would  soon  come  and  lay  waste  Falconhurst  and  Tentholm 
as  wsll  as  Woodlands.  "  How  can  that  have  happened  ?  Did 
you  discover  the  authors  of  all  this  mischief  1  " 

"  Oh,"  said  Jack,  "  it  was  easy  to  see  that  those  dreadful 
monkeys  had  done  it  all.  First  they  must  have  got  into  the 
yards  and  sheds,  and  hunted  the  fowls  and  creatures  about  ; 
and  then  I  dare  say  the  cunning  rascals  put  a  little  monkey  in 
at  some  small  opening,  and  bid  him  unfasten  the  shutters — 
you  know  what  nimble  fingers  they  have.  Then  of  course  the 
whole  posse  of  them  swarmed  into  our  nice  tidy  cottage  and 
skylarked  with  every  single  thing  they  could  lay  paws  on,  till 
perhaps  they  got  hungry  all  at  once,  and  bethought  them  of 
the  '  ginseng,'  as  you  call  it,  out  in  the  woods  yonder,  where 
we  found  them  so  busy  refreshing  themselves,  the  mischievous 
villains ! " 

"  While  we  were  gazing  at  all  this  ruin  in  a  sort  of  be* 
wilderment,"  pursued  Fritz,  "  we  heard  a  sound  of  rushing 
wings  and  strange  ringing  cries,  as  of  multitudes  of  birds  pass- 
ing high  above  us,  and  looking  up  we  perceived  them  flying- 
quickly  in  a  wedge-shaped  nock  at  a  great  height  in  the 
air.  They  began  gradually  to  descend,  taking  the  direction  of 
the  lake,  and  separated  into  a  number  of  small  detachments, 
which  followed  in  a  long,  straight  line,  and  at  a  slower  rate,  the 
movements  of  the  leaders,  who  appeared  to  be  examining  the 
neighborhood.  We  could  now  see  what  large  birds  they  mus* 
be,  but  dared  not  show  ourselves  or  follow  them,  lest  they 
should  take  alarm. 

"Presently,  and  with  one  accord,  they  quickened  their 
motion,  just  as  if  the  band  had  begun  to  play  a  quick  march 
after  a  slow  one,  and  rapidly  descended  to  earth  in  a  variety 
1  of  lively  ways,  and  near  enough  for  ud  to  see  that  they  must 
be  cranes. 

"  Some  alighted  at  once,  while  others  hovered  sportively 
over  them.  Many  darted  to  the  ground,  and,  just  touching 
it,  would  soar  again  upward  with  a  strong  but  somewhat 
heavy  flight. 

"  After  gamboling  in  this  way  for  a  time,  the  whole  multi- 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBTNSOW.  Iff 

tade,  as  though  at  the  word  of  command,  alighted  on  the 
rioe  fields,  and  began  to  feast  on  the  fresh  grain. 

"  We  thought  now  was  our  time  to  get  a  shot  at  the  cranea, 
and  cautiously  approached  ;  but  they  were  too  cunning  to  let 
themselves  be  surprised,  and  we  came  unexpectedly  upon 
their  out-posts  or  sentinels,  who  instantly  sprang  into  the  air, 
uttering  loud,  trumpet-like  cries,  upon  which  the  whole  flock 
arose  and  followed  them  with  a  rush  like  a  sudden  squall  of 
wind.  We  were  quite  startled,  and  it  was  useless  to  attempt 
a  shot  ;  but  unwilling  to  miss  the  chance  of  securing  at  least 
one  of  the  birds,  I  hastily  unhooded  my  eagle,  and  threw  him 
into  the  air. 

"  With  a  piercing  cry  he  soared  away  high  above  them, 
then  shot  downward  like  an  arrow,  causing  wild  confusion 
among  the  cranes.  The  one  which  the  eagle  attacked  sought 
to  defend  itself  ;  a  struggle  followed,  and  they  came  together 
to  the  ground  not  far  from  where  we  stood. 

"  Has  ten  ing  forward,  to  my  grief  I  found  the  beautiful 
crane  already  dead.  The  eagle,  luckily  unhurt,  was  rewarded 
with  a  small  pigeon  from  my  gamebag. 

"  After  this  we  went  back  to  Woodlands,  got  some  turpen« 
tine  and  a  bag  of  rice — and  set  off  for  home." 

Fritz's  interesting  story  being  ended,  and  supper  ready,  we 
made  trial  of  the  new  roots,  and  found  them  very  palatable, 
either  boiled  or  stewed  ;  the  monkey  plant,  however,  if  it 
really  proved  to  be  the  ginseng  of  the  Chinese,  would  require 
to  be  used  with  caution,  being  of  an  aromatic  and  heating 
nature. 

We  resolved  to  transplant  a  supply  of  both  roots  to  our 
kitchen  garden. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Bird-lime — A  midnight  raid — The  massacre  at  Woodlands — Capture  of 
Molucca  pigeons — A  pigeon-house — Fritz  and  I  prepare  a  conjuring 
trick — Great  success  of  our  experiment — Lichen  and  nutmegs  dis-, 
covered — Jack's  ad  venture — The  loom  manufactured — Winter  stores 
prepared — The  rainy  season  sets  in — Interior  of  our  house  arranged — 
We  study  languages — The  return  of  spring — A  stranded  whale — An 
account  of  coral — We  go  to  work  on  the  whale's  carcass — Remarks 
on  the  habits  of  the  whale. 

ON  the  following  morning  we  were  early  astir  ;  and  as  soon 
as  breakfast  was  over,  we  went  regularly  to  work  with  the 
bird-lime.  The  tough,  adhesive  mixture  of  caoutchouc,  oil,  and 
turpentine  turned  out  welL 


158  THE    SWISS   FAMILY    BOBINSOBT. 

The  boys  brought  rods,  which  I  smeared  over,  and  made 
them  place  among  the  upper  branches,  where  the  fruit  was 
plentiful,  and  the  birds  most  congregated. 

The  prodigious  number  of  the  pigeons,  far  beyond  those  of 
last  year,  reminded  me  that  we  had  not  then,  as  now,  wit- 
nessed their  arrival  at  their  feeding-places,  but  had  seen  only 
the  last  body  of  the  season,  a  mere  party  of  stragglers,  com- 
pared to  the  masses  which  now  weighed  down  the  branches 
of  all  the  trees  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  sweet  acorns  of  the  evergreen  oaks  were  also  patron- 
ized ;  large  flocks  were  there  congregated  ;  and  from  the  state 
of  the  ground  under  the  trees  it  was  evident  that  at  night  they 
roosted  on  the  branches.  Seeing  this,  I  determined  to  make  a 
raid  upon  them  by  torchlight,  after  the  manner  of  the  colo« 
nists  in  Virginia. 

Meantime,  the  birdlime  acted  well :  the  pigeons  alighting, 
ituck  fast.  The  more  they  fluttered  and  struggled,  the  more 
completely  were  they  bedaubed  with  the  tenacious  mixture, 
and  at  length,  with  piteous  cries,  fell  to  the  ground,  bearing 
the  sticks  with  them.  The  birds  were  then  removed,  fresh 
lime  spread,  and  the  snare  set  again. 

The  boys  quickly  became  able  to  carry  on  the  work  with- 
out my  assistance  ;  so,  leaving  it  to  them,  I  went  to  prepare 
torches,  with  pine  wood  and  turpentine,  for  the  night  attack. 

Jack  presently  brought  a  very  pretty  pigeon,  unlike  the 
rest,  to  show  me,  as  he  felt  unwilling  to  kill  it ;  and  seeing 
that  it  must  be  one  of  our  own  European  breed,  which  we 
wished  to  preserve  until  their  numbers  greatly  increased,  I 
took  the  trembling  captive,  and  gently  cleansed  its  feet  and 
wings  with  oil  and  ashes  from  the  stiff,  sticky  mess  with  which 
it  was  bedaubed,  placing  it  then  in  a  wicker  cage,  and  telling 
Jack  to  bring  me  any  others  like  it  which  were  caught.  This 
he  did  ;  and  we  secured  several  pairs,  greatly  to  my  satisfac- 
tion, as  having  necessarily  let  them  go  free  when  we  landed, 
they  had  become  quite  wild  and  we  derived  no  advantage 
from  them  :  whereas  now  we  would  have  a  cot,  and  pigeon-pie 
whenever  we  liked. 

When  evening  drew  on,  we  set  out  for  the  wood  of  sweet 
acorns,  provided  merely  with  long  bamboo  canes,  torches,  and 
canvas  sacks. 

These  weapons  appeared  very  curious  and  insufficient  to 
the  children  ;  but  their  use  was  speedily  apparent ;  for  dark- 
ness having  come  upon  us  almost  before  we  reached  the  wood, 
I  lighted  the  torches,  and  perceived,  as  I  expected,  that  every 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  KOBrJTSOtf.  159 

branch  -was  thickly  laden  with  ortolans  and  wild  pigeons,  who 
were  roosting  there  in  amazing  numbers. 

Suddenly  aroused  by  the  glare  of  light,  confusion  prevailed 
among  the  terrified  birds,  who  fluttered  helplessly  through 
the  branches,  dazzled  and  bewildered,  and  many  falling,  even 
before  we  began  to  use  the  sticks,  were  picked  up,  and  put  in 
the  bags.  When  we  beat  and  struck  the  branches,  it  was 
as  much  as  my  wife  and  Franz  could  do  to  gather  up  the 
quantities  of  pigeons  that  soon  lay  on  the  ground.  The  sacks 
were  speedily  quite  full.  We  turned  homeward,  and  on  reach- 
ing Falconhurst,  put  our  booty  in  safety,  and  gladly  withdrew 
to  rest. 

The  following  day  was  wholly  occupied  in  plucking,  boiling, 
roasting,  and  stewing,  so  that  we  could  find  time  for  nothing 
else  ;  but  next  morning  a  great  expedition  to  Woodlands  was 
arranged,  that  measures  might  there  be  taken  to  prevent  a 
repetition  of  the  monkey  invasion. 

I  hoped,  could  I  but  catch  the  mischievous  rascals  at  their 
work  of  destruction,  to  inflict  upon  them  such  a  chastisement 
as  would  effectually  make  them  shun  the  neighborhood  of  our 
farm  for  the  future. 

My  wife  provided  us  with  a  good  store  of  provisions,  as  we 
were  likely  to  be  absent  several  days,  while  she,  with  Franz 
and  Turk,  remained  at  home. 

I  took  with  me  abundance  of  specially  prepared  birdlime, 
far  stronger  than  that  which  we  used  for  the  pigeons  ;  a 
number  of  short  posts,  plenty  of  string,  and  a  supply  of  cocoa- 
nut  shells  and  gourds. 

The  buffalo  carried  all  these  things,  and  one  or  two  of  the 
boys  besides.  I  myself  bestrode  the  ass,  and  in  due  time  we 
arrived  at  a  convenient  spot  in  the  forest,  near  Woodlands, 
well  concealed  by  thick  bushes  and  underwood,  where  we 
made  a  little  encampment,  pitching  the  small  tent,  and  tether- 
ing the  animals.  The  dogs,  too,  were  tied  up,  lest  they  should 
roam  about  and  betray  our  presence. 

We  found  the  cottage  quite  quiet  and  deserted  ;  and  I  lost 
no  time  in  preparing  for  the  reception  of  visitors,  hoping  to  b« 
all  ready  for  them  and  out  of  sight  before  they  arrived. 

We  drove  the  stakes  lightly  into  the  ground,  so  as  to  form 
an  irregular  paling  round  the  house,  winding  string  in  and  oat 
in  all  directions  between  them  thus  making  a  kind  of  labyrinth, 
through  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  pass  without  touch- 
ing either  the  stakes  or  the  cords. 

Everything  was  plentifully  besmeared  with  birdlime,  and 


ISO  THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBFNSON. 

basins  of  the  mixture  were  set  in  all  directions,  strewn  with 
rice,  maize,  and  other  dainties  for  bait. 

Night  came  without  any  interruption  to  our  proceedings  ; 
and  all  being  then  accomplished,  we  retired  to  rest  beneath 
the  shelter  of  our  little  tent. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  we  heard  a  confused  noise,  such 
as  we  knew  betokened  the  approach  of  a  large  number  of 
apes.  We  armed  ourselves  with  strong  clubs  and  cudgels, 
and  holding  the  dogs  in  leash,  made  our  way  silently  behind 
the  thickets,  till,  ourselves  unseen,  we  could  command  a  view 
of  all  that  went  on  ;  and  strange  indeed  was  the  scene  which 
•nsued  ! 

The  noise  of  rustling,  cracking,  and  creaking  among  the 
branches,  with  horrid  cries,  and  shrieks,  and  chattering,  in- 
creased to  a  degree  sufficient  to  make  us  perfectly  giddy ; 
and  then  out  from  the  forest  poured  the  whole  disorderly  rab» 
ble  of  monkeys,  scrambling,  springing,  leaping  from  the  trees, 
racing  and  tumbling  across  the  grassy  space  toward  the 
house ;  when,  at  once  attracted  by  the  novelties  they  saw,  they 
made  for  the  jars  and  bowls. 

They  seemed  innumerable  ;  but  the  confused,  rapid  way  in 
which  they  swarmed  hither  and  thither,  made  it  difficult  to 
judge  accurately  of  their  numbers.  They  dashed  fearlessly 
through  and  over  the  palings  in  all  directions,  some  rushing  at 
the  eatables,  some  scrambling  on  to  the  roof,  where  they  com- 
menced  tugging  at  the  wooden  pegs,  with  a  view  to  forcing 
an  entrance. 

Gradually,  however,  as  they  rambled  over  the  place,  all  in 
turn  became  besmeared  with  our  birdlime  on  head,  paws,  or 
back  or  breast.  The  wretched  predicament  of  the  apes  in- 
creased every  instant. 

Some  sat  down,  and  with  the  most  ludicrous  gestures,  tried 
to  clean  themselves.  Others  were  hopelessly  entangled  in 
stakes  and  cordage,  which  they  trailed  about  after  them,  look* 
ing  the  picture  of  bewildered  despair. 

Others,  again,  endeavored  to  help  one  another,  and  stuck 
fast  together  ;  the  more  they  pulled,  and  tugged,  and  kicked, 
the  worse  became  their  plight. 

Many  had  the  gourds  and  cocoanut  shells  lumbering  and 
clattering  about  with  them,  their  paws  having  been  caught 
when  they  sought  to  obtain  the  rice  or  fruit  we  had  put  for 
bait. 

Most  ridiculous  of  all  was  the  condition  of  one  old  fellow, 
vho  had  found  a  calabash  containing  palm  wine,  and,  eagerlj 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOK.  161 

drinking  it,  was  immediately  fitted  with  a  mask,  for  the  shell 
stack  to  his  forehead  and  whiskers,  of  course  covering  his 
eyes  ;  and  he  blundered  about,  cutting  the  wildest  capers  in 
his  efforts  to  get  rid  of  the  encumbrance. 

Numbers  took  to  flight ;  but,  as  we  had  spread  birdlime 
on  several  of  the  trees  around,  many  apes  found  themselves 
fixed  to,  or  hanging  from  the  branches,  where  they  remained 
in  woful  durance,  struggling  and  shrieking  horribly. 

The  panic  being  now  general,  I  loosed  the  three  dogs,  whose 
impatience  had  been  almost  uncontrollable,  and  who  now 
rushed  to  the  attack  of  the  unfortunate  monkeys,  as  though 
burning  with  zeal  to  execute  justice  upon  desperate  criminals. 

The  place  soon  had  the  appearance  of  a  ghastly  battlefield ; 
for  we  were  obliged  to  do  our  part  with  the  clubs  and  sticks, 
till  the  din  of  howling,  yelling,  barking,  in  every  conceivable 
tone  of  rage  and  pain,  gave  place  to  an  awful  silence,  and  we 
looked  with  a  shudder  on  the  shocking  spectacle  around  us. 

At  least  forty  apes  lay  mangled  and  dead,  and  the  boys  began 
to  be  quite  sad  and  down-hearted,  till  I,  fully  sharing  their 
feelings,  hastened  to  turn  their  thoughts  to  active  employ- 
ment in  removing  and  burying  the  slain,  burning  the  stakes, 
cordage  bowls,  everything  concerned  in  the  execution  of  our 
deadly  stratagem. 

After  that  we  betook  ourselves  to  the  task  of  restoring 
order  to  our  dismantled  cottage  ;  and  seeking  for  the  scattered 
flock  of  sheep,  goats,  and  poultry,  we  gradually  collected  them, 
hoping  to  settle  them  once  more  peacefully  in  their  yards  and 
sheds. 

While  thus  engaged,  we  repeatedly  heard  a  sound  as  of 
something  heavy  falling  from  a  tree.  On  going  to  look,  we 
found  three  splendid  birds,  caught  on  some  of  the  limed  sticks 
we  had  placed  loose  in  the  branches. 

Two  of  these  proved  to  be  a  variety  of  the  blue  Molucca 
pigeon  ;  the  third  I  assumed  to  be  the  Nicobar  pigeon,  hav- 
ing met  with  descriptions  of  its  resplendent  green,  bronze, 
and  steely  blue  plumage  ;  and  I  was  pleased  to  think  of  do- 
mesticating them,  and  establishing  them  as  first  tenants  of  a 
suitable  dwelling  near  the  cave. 

"First  tenants,  father!"  said  Fritz;  "do  you  expect  to 
catch  more  like  these  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly  catch  them  ;  I  mean  to  practise  a  secret  art 
Much  can  be  done  by  magic,  Fritz  !  " 
Further  explanation  I  declined  to  give. 
In  a  few  days  Woodlands  was  once  more  set  in  order,  and 


1M  THB    SWISS    FAMILY   BOBIKSO1T. 

everything  settled  and  comfortable,  so  that  we  returned  with- 
out further  adventure  to  Falconhurst,  where  we  were  joyfully 
welcomed. 

Everyone  agreed  that  we  must  go  at  once  to  Tentholm,  to 
make  the  proposed  pigeon-house  in  the  rock.  Several  other 
things  there  also  requiring  our  attention,  we  made  arrange- 
ments  for  a  prolonged  stay. 

My  plan  for  the  pigeon-house  was  to  hollow  out  an  ample 
apace  in  the  cliff,  facing  toward  Jackal  River,  and  close  to  our 
rocky  home,  fitting  that  up  with  partitions,  perches,  and  nest- 
ing places  ;  while  a  large  wooden  front  was  fitted  on  to  the 
opening,  with  entrance-holes,  slides  or  shutters,  and  a  broad 
platform  in  front,  where  the  birds  could  rest  and  walk  about. 

When,  after  the  work  of  a  few  weeks,  we  thought  it  was  fit 
for  habitation,  I  set  the  other  children  to  work  at  some  dis- 
tance from  our  cavern,  and  summoning  Fritz  : 

"  Now,  my  faithful  assistant,"  said  I,  "  it  is  time  to  conjure 
the  new  colonists  to  their  settlement  here.  Yes,"  I  con- 
tinued, laughing  at  his  puzzled  look,  "I  mean  to  play  a 
regular  pigeon-dealer's  trick.  You  must  know  such  gentry  are 
very  ingenious,  not  only  in  keeping  their  own  pigeons  safe, 
but  in  adding  to  their  numbers  by  attracting  those  of  other 
people.  All  I  want  is  some  soft  clay,  aniseed,  and  salt,  of 
which  I  will  compound  a  mixture  which  our  birds  will  like 
very  much,  and  the  smell  of  which  will  bring  others  to  share  it 
with  them." 

"I  can  easily  get  you  those  things,  father." 

"  I  shall  want  some  oil  of  aniseed  besides,"  said  I,  "  to 
put  on  the  pigeon-holes,  so  that  the  birds'  feathers  may 
touch  it  as  they  may  pass  in  and  out,  and  become  scented 
with  what  will  attract  the  wild  pigeons.  This  I  can  obtain 
by  pounding  aniseed ;  therefore,  bring  me  the  mortar  and 
some  oil." 

When  this  was  strongly  impregnated  with  the  aromatic  oil 
from  the  seeds  (for  I  did  not  propose  to  distill  it  in  regular 
«tyle),  I  strained  it  through  a  cloth,  pressing  it  strongly  ;  the 
result  answered  my  purpose,  and  the  scent  would  certainly 
remain  for  some  days. 

All  my  preparations  being  completed,  the  pigeons  were 
installed  in  their  new  residence,  and  the  slides  closed.  The 
European  birds  were  by  this  time  quite  friendly  with  the 
three  beautiful  strangers ;  and  when  the  other  boys  came 
home,  and  scrambled  up  the  ladder  to  peep  in  at  a  little 
pane  of  glass  I  had  fixed  in  front,  they  saw  them  all  con- 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   KOBINSOIT.  169 

tentedly  picking  up  grain,  and  pecking  at  the  "  magic  food," 
as  Fritz  called  it,  although  he  did  not  betray  my  secret  arts 
to  his  brothers. 

Early  on  the  third  morning  I  aroused  Fritz,  and  directed 
him  to  ascend  the  rope  ladder,  and  arrange  a  cord  on  the 
sliding  door  of  the  dovecot,  by  which  it  could  be  opened  or 
closed  from  below.  Also  he  poured  fresh  aniseed  oil  all 
about  the  entrance,  after  which  we  returned,  and  awoke  the 
rest  of  the  family,  telling  them  that  if  they  liked  to  make 
haste,  they  might  see  me  let  the  pigeons  fly. 

Everybody  came  to  the  dovecot,  understanding  that  some 
ceremony  was  to  attend  the  event,  and  I  waved  a  wand  with 
mock  solemnity,  while  I.  muttered  a  seeming  incantation,  and 
then  gave  Fritz  a  sign  to  draw  up  the  sliding  panel. 

Presently  out  popped  the  pretty  heads  of  the  captives,  the 
soft  eyes  glanced  about  in  all  directions  ;  they  withdrew, 
they  ventured  forth  again,  they  came  timidly  out  on  "  the 
veranda,"  as  little  Franz  expressed  it  ;  then,  as  though 
suddenly  startled,  the  whole  party  took  wing,  with  the  shrill 
whizzing  sound  peculiar  to  the  flight  of  pigeons,  and  circling 
above  us  as  they  rose  higher  and  higher,  finally  darting  quite 
out  of  sight. 

While  we  were  yet  gazing  after  them,  they  reappeared,  and 
settled  quietly  on  the  dovecot ;  but  as  we  congratulated  our- 
selves on  a  return  which  showed  that  they  accepted  this  as  a 
home,  up  sprang  the  three  blue  pigeons,  the  noble  foreigners, 
for  whom  chiefly  I  had  planned  the  house,  and  rising  in 
circles  high  in  air,  winged  their  rapid  way  direct  toward 
Falconhurst. 

Their  departure  had  such  an  air  of  determination  and  resolve 
about  it,  that  I  feared  them  lost  to  us  forever. 

Endeavoring  to  console  ourselves  by  petting  our  four  re- 
maining birds,  we  could  not  forget  this  disappointment) 
'  and  all  day  long  the  dovecot  remained  the  center  of  attrac- 
tion. 

Nothing,  however,  was  seen  of  the  fugitives  until  about  the 
middle  of  the  next  day ;  when  most  of  us  were  hard  at  work 
inside  tke  cavern,  Jack  sprang  in  full  of  excitement,  exclaim- 
ing : 

"  He  is  there  !    He  is  come  !  he  really  is  !  " 

"  Who  ?    Who  is  there  ?    What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  The  blue  pigeon,  to  be  sure  !     Hurrah  1  Hurrah  !  " 

**  Oh,  nonsense  1  "  said  Ernest.  "  You  want  to  play  oe  a 
trick." 


1(J4  THE   SWISS   FA.MILT   ROBINSONS 

"  Why  should  it  be  ' nonsense ' ? "  cried  I.  "I folly  believe 
we  shall  see  them  all  soon  !  " 

Out  ran  everybody  to  the  dovecot,  and  there,  sure  enough 
•tood  the  pretty  fellow,  but  not  alone,  for  he  was  billing  and 
•ooing  to  a  mate,  a  stranger  of  his  own  breed,  apparently  in- 
viting her  to  enter  his  dwelling  ;  for  he  popped  in  and  out 
of  the  door,  bowing,  sidling,  and  cooing,  in  a  most  irresistible 
manner,  until  the  shy  little  lady  yielded  to  his  blandishments, 
and  tripped  daintily  in.  "  Now,  let's  shut  the  door." 

"  Pull  the  cord  and  close  the  panel !  "  shouted  the  boys, 
making  a  rush  at  the  string. 

"  Stop  ! "  cried  I,  "  let  the  string  alone  1  I  won't  have 
you  frighten  the  little  darlings.  Besides,  the  others  will  be 
coming — would  yon  shut  the  door  in  their  faces  ?  " 

"  Here  they  come  !  here  they  come  ! "  exclaimed  Fritz, 
whose  keen  eye  marked  the  birds  afar,  and  to  our  delight  the 
second  blue  pigeon  arrived,  likewise  with  a  mate,  whom,  after 
a  pretty  little  flirtation  scene  of  real  and  assumed  modesty  on 
her  part,  he  succeeded  in  leading  home. 

The  third  and  handsomest  of  the  new  pigeons  was  the  last 
in  making  his  appearance.  Perhaps  he  had  greater  difficulty 
than  the  others  in  finding  a  mate  as  distinguished  in  rank  and 
beauty  as  himself. 

However,  we  fully  expected  them,  and  the  boys  talked  of 
the  arrival  of  "  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicobar  "  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Late  in  the  day  Franz  and  his  mother  went  out  to  provide 
for  supper,  bat  the  child  returned  directly,  exclaiming  that 
we  must  hasten  to  the  dove-cot  to  see  something  beauti- 
ful 

Accordingly  a  general  rush  was  made  out  of  the  cave,  and 
we  saw  with  delight  that  the  third  stranger  also  had  returned 
with  a  lovely  bride,  and  encouraged  by  the  presence  of  the 
first  arrivals,  they  soon  made  themselves  at  home. 

In  a  short  time  nest-building  commenced,  and  among  the 
materials  collected  by  the  birds,  I  observed  a  long  gray  moss 
or  lichen,  and  thought  it  might  very  possibly  be  the  same 
which,  in  the  West  Indies,  is  gathered  from  the  bark  of  old 
trees,  where  it  grows,  and  hangs  in  great  tuft-like  beards,  to 
be  used  instead  of  horse-hair  for  stuffing  mattresses. 

My  wife  no  sooner  heard  of  it  than  her  active  brain  devised 
fifty  plans  for  making  it  of  use.  Would  we  but  collect 
enough,  she  would  clean  and  sort  it,  and  there  would  be  no 
end  to  the  bolsters,  pillows,  saddles,  and  cushions  she  would 
etuff  with  jk. 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   BOBDTSON.  165 

For  the  discovery  of  nutmegs  we  had  also  to  thank  the 
pigeons,  and  they  were  carefully  planted  in  our  orchard. 

For  some  time  no  event  of  particular  note  occurred,  until  at 
length  Jack,  as  usual,  got  into  a  scrape,  causing  thereby  no 
little  excitement  at  home. 

He  went  off  early  on  one  of  his  own  particular  private 
expeditions. 

He  was  in  the  habit  of  doing  this  that  he  might  surprise  00 
with  some  new  acquisition  on  his  return. 

This  time,  however,  he  came  back  in  most  wretched  plight^ 
covered  with  mud  and  green  slime  ;  a  great  bundle  of  Spanish 
canes  was  on  his  back,  muddy  and  green  like  himself  ;  he 
had  lost  a  shoe,  and  altogether  presented  a  ludicrous  picture 
of  misery,  at  which  we  could  have  laughed  had  he  not  seemed 
more  ready  to  ciy  I 

"  My  dear  boy  !  what  has  happened  to  you  ?  Where  have 
you  been  ?  " 

"  Only  in  the  swamp  behind  the  powder  magazine,  father," 
replied  he.  "I  went  to  get  reeds  for  my  wicker-work, 
because  I  wanted  to  weave  some  baskets  and  hen-coops,  and 
I  saw  such  beauties  a  little  way  off  in  the  marsh,  much  finer 
than  those  close  by  the  edge,  that  I  tried  to  get  at  them. 

"  I  jumped  from  one  firm  spot  to  another,  till  at  last  I 
slipped  and  sank  over  my  ankles  ;  I  tried  to  get  on  toward 
the  reeds,  which  were  close  by,  but  in  I  went  deeper  and 
deeper,  till  I  was  above  the  knees  in  thick  soft  mud,  and  there 
I  stuck  ! 

"  I  screamed  and  shouted,  but  nobody  came,  and  I  can  tell 
yon  I  was  in  a  regular  fright. 

"  At  last  who  should  appear  but  my  faithful  Fangs  !  He 
knew  my  voice  and  came  close  up  to  me,  right  over  the 
swamp,  but  all  the  poor  beast  could  do  was  to  help  me  to 
make  a  row  ;  I  wonder  you  did  not  hear  us  I  The  very  rocks 
rang,  but  nothing  came  of  it,  so  despair  drove  me  to  think  of 
an  expedient.  I  cut  down  all  the  reeds  I  could  reach  round 
and  round  me,  and  bound  them  together  into  this  bundle, 
which  made  a  firm  place  on  which  to  lean,  while  I  worked 
and  kicked  about  to  free  my  feet  and  legs,  and  after  much 
struggling,  I  managed  to  get  astride  on  the  reeds. 

"  There  I  sat,  supported  above  the  mud  and  slime,  while 
Fangs  ran  yelping  backward  and  forward  between  me  and 
the  bank,  seeming  surprised  I  did  not  follow.  Suddenly  I 
thought  of  catching  hold  of  his  tail.  He  dragged  and  pulled, 
and  I  sprawled,  and  crawled,  and  waded,  sometimes  on  my 


166  THK   SWISS   FAMILY   KOBINSON. 

reeds  like  &  raft,  sometimes  lugging  them  along  with  me,  till 
we  luckily  got  back  to  terra  tirma.  But  I  had  a  near  squeak 
for  it,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  A  fortunate  escape  indeed,  my  boy  ! "  cried  I,  "  and  I 
thank  God  for  it.  Fangs  has  really  acted  a  heroic  part  a.8 
your  deliverer,  and  you  have  shown  great  presence  of  mind. 
Now  go  with  your  mother,  and  get  rid  of  the  slimy  traces  of 
your  disaster  1  You  have  brought  me  splendid  canes,  exactly 
what  I  want  for  a  new  scheme  of  mine." 

The  fact  was,  I  meant  to  try  to  construct  a  loom  for  my 
wife,  for  I  knew  she  understood  weaving,  so  I  chose  two  fine 
strong  reeds,  and  splitting  them  carefully,  bound  them  together 
again,  that  when  dry  they  might  be  quite  straight  and  equal, 
and  fit  for  a  frame.  Smaller  reeds  were  cut  into  pieces  and 
sharpened,  for  the  teeth  of  the  comb.  The  boys  did  this  for 
me  without  in  the  least  knowing  their  use,  and  great  fun  they 
made  of  "  father's  monster  toothpicks." 

In  time  all  the  various  parts  of  the  loom  were  made  ready, 
and  put  together,  my  wife  knowing  nothing  of  it,  while  to  the 
incessant  questions  of  the  children,  I  replied  mysteriously. 

"  Oh,  it  is  an  outlandish  sort  of  musical  instrument ;  mother 
will  know  how  to  play  upon  it." 

And  when  the  time  came  for  presenting  it,  her  joy  was  only 
equaled  by  the  amusement  and  interest  with  which  the  chil- 
dren watched  her  movements  while  "  playing  the  loom,"  as 
they  always  said. 

About  this  time,  a  beautiful  little  foal,  a  son  of  the  onager, 
was  added  to  our  stud,  and  as  he  promised  to  grow  up  strong 
and  tractable,  we  soon  saw  how  useful  he  would  be.  The 
name  of  Swift  was  given  to  him,  and  he  was  to  be  trained  for 
my  own  riding. 

The  interior  arrangements  of  the  cavern  being  now  well 
forward,  I  applied  myself  to  contriving  an  aqueduct,  that 
fresh  water  might  be  led  close  up  to  our  cave,  for  it  was  a 
long  way  to  go  to  fetch  it  from  Jackal  River,  and  especially 
inconvenient  on  washing  days.  As  I  wanted  to  do  this  before 
the  rainy  season  began,  I  set  about  it  at  once. 

Pipes  of  hollow  bamboo  answered  the  purpose  well,  and  a 
large  cask  formed  the  reservoir.  The  supply  was  good,  and 
the  comfort  of  having  it  close  at  hand  so  great,  that  the 
mother  declared  she  was  as  well  pleased  with  our  engineering 
as  if  we  had  made  her  a  fountain  and  marble  basin  adorned 
with  mermaids  and  dolphins. 

Anticipating  the  setting  in  of  the  rains,  I  pressed  forward 


THS   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  167 

all  work  connected  with  stores  for  the  winter,  and  great 
was  the  in-gathering  of  roots,  fruits,  and  grains,  potatoes, 
rice,  guavas,  sweet  acorns,  pine-cones';  load  after  load  arrived 
at  the  cavern,  and  the  mother's  active  needle  was  in  constant 
requisition,  as  the  demand  for  more  sacks  and  bags  was 
incessant. 

Casks  and  barrels  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  were  pressed  into 
the  service,  until  at  last  the  raft  was  knocked  to  pieces,  and 
its  tubs  made  to  do  duty  in  the  storerooms. 

The  weather  became  very  unsettled  and  stormy. 

Heavy  clouds  gathered  in  the  horizon,  and  passing  storms 
of  wind,  with  thunder,  lightning,  and  torrents  of  rain  swept 
over  the  face  of  nature  from  time  to  time. 

The  sea  was  in  frequent  commotion  ;  heavy  ground  swells 
drove  masses  of  water  hissing  and  foaming  against  the  cliffs. 
Everything  heralded  the  approaching  rains.  All  nature 
joined  in  sounding  forth  the  solemn  overture  to  the  grandest 
work  of  the  year. 

It  was  now  near  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  June,  and 
we  had  twelve  weeks  of  bad  weather  before  us. 

We  established  some  of  the  animals  with  ourselves  at 
the  salt  cave.  The  cow,  the  ass,  Lightfoot,  Storm,  and  the 
dogs,  were  all  necessary  to  us,  while  Knips,  Fangs,  and 
the  eagle  were  sure  to  be  a  great  amusement  in  the  long 
evenings. 

The  boys  would  ride  over  to  Falconhurst  very  often  to  see 
that  all  was  in  order  there,  and  fetch  anything  required. 

Much  remained  to  be  done  in  order  to  give  the  cave  a  com- 
fortable appearance,  which  became  more  desirable  now  that 
we  had  to  live  indoors. 

The  darkness  of  the  inner  regions  annoyed  me,  and  I  set 
myself  to  invent  a  remedy. 

After  some  thought,  I  called  in  Jack's  assistance,  and  we 
got  a  very  tall,  strong  bamboo,  which  would  reach  right  up  to 
the  vaulted  roof.  This  we  planted  in  the  earthen  floor,  secur- 
ing well  by  driving  wedges  in  round  it.  Jack  ascended  this 
pole  very  cleverly,  taking  with  him  a  hammer  and  chisel  to 
enlarge  a  crevice  in  the  roof  so  as  to  fix  a  pulley,  by  means  of 
which,  when  he  descended,  I  drew  up  a  large  ship's  lantern, 
well  supplied  with  oil,  and  as  there  were  four  wicks,  it  afforded 
it  very  fair  amount  of  light. 

Several  days  were  spent  in  arranging  the  different  rooms. 

Ernest  and  Franz  undertook  the  library,  fixing  shelves,  and 
setting  the  books  in  order. 


168  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBmsOH. 

Jack  and  his  mother  took  in  hand  the  sitting  room  and  kit- 
chen, while  Fritz  and  I,  as  better  able  for  heavy  work,  ar- 
ranged the  workshops.  The  carpenter's  bench,  the  turning 
lathe,  and  a  large  chest  of  tools  were  set  in  convenient  places, 
and  many  tools  and  instruments  hung  on  the  walls. 

An  adjoining  chamber  was  fitted  up  as  a  forge,  with  fire- 
place, bellows,  and  anvil,  complete,  all  which  we  had  found 
in  the  ship,  packed  together,  and  ready  to  set  up. 

When  these  great  affairs  were  settled,  we  still  found  in  all 
directions  work  to  be  done.  Shelves,  tables,  benches,  movable 
gteps,  cupboards,  pegs,  door  handles,  and  bolts — there  seemed 
no  end  to  our  requirements,  and  we  often  thought  of  the 
enormous  amount  of  work  necessary  to  maintain  the  comforta 
and  conveniences  of  life  which  at  home  we  had  received  ai 
matters  of  course. 

But  in  reality,  the  more  there  was  to  do  the  better  ;  and 
I  never  ceased  contriving  fresh  improvements,  being  fully 
aware  of  the  importance  of  constant  employment  as  a  means 
jf  strengthening  and  maintaining  the  health  of  mind  and 
oody.  This,  indeed,  with  a  consciousness  of  continual  pro- 
gress toward  a  desirable  end,  is  found  to  constitute  the  main 
element  of  happiness. 

Our  rocky  home  was  greatly  improved  by  a  wide  porch 
which  I  made  along  the  whole  front  of  our  rooms  and  en- 
trances, by  leveling  the  ground  to  form  a  terrace,  and  shelter- 
ing it  with  a  veranda  of  bamboo,  supported  by  pillars  of  the 
same. 

Ernest  and  Franz  were  highly  successful  as  librarians. 

The  books,  when  unpacked  and  arranged,  proved  to  be  a 
most  valuable  collection,  capable  of  affording  every  sort  of 
educational  advantage. 

Besides  a  variety  of  books  of  voyages,  travels,  divinity,  and 
natural  history  (several  containing  fine  colored  illustrations), 
there  were  histories  and  scientific  works,  as  well  as  standard 
fictions  in  several  languages  ;  also  a  good  assortment  of 
maps,  charts,  mathematical  and  astronomical  instruments,  and 
an  excellent  pair  of  globes. 

I  foresaw  much  interesting  study  on  discovering  that  w« 
possessed  the  grammars  and  dictionaries  of  a  great  many 
languages,  a  subject  for  which  we  all  had  a  taste.  With 
French  we  were  well  acquainted.  Fritz  and  Ernest  had  be- 
gan to  learn  English  at  school,  and  made  further  progress 
during  a  visit  to  England.  The  mother,  who  had  once  been 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  KOBDTSOlf.  169 

intimate  with  a  Dutch  family,  could  speak  that  language 
pretty  well. 

After  a  great  deal  of  discussion,  we  agreed  to  study  dif- 
ferent languages,  so  that  in  the  event  of  meeting  with  people 
of  other  nations,  there  should  be  at  least  one  of  the  family 
able  to  communicate  with  them. 

All  determined  to  improve  our  knowledge  of  German  and 
French. 

I     The  two  elder  boys  were  to  study  English  and  Dutch  with 
their  mother. 

Ernest,  already  possessing  considerable  knowledge  of  Latin, 
wished  to  continue  to  study  it,  so  as  to  be  able  to  make  use  of 
the  many  works  on  natural  history  and  medicine  written  in 
that  language. 

Jack  announced  that  he  meant  to  learn  Spanish,  "  because 
itt  sounded  so  grand  and  imposing." 

I  myself  was  interested  in  the  Malay  language,  knowing  it 
to  be  so  widaly  spoken  in  the  islands  of  the  Eastern  Seas, 
and  thinking  it  as  likely  as  any  other  to  be  useful  to  us. 

Our  family  circle  by  and  by  represented  Babel  in  minia- 
ture, for  scraps  and  fragments  of  all  these  tongues  kept  buzz- 
ing about  our  ears  from  morning  to  night,  each  sporting  his 
newly  acquired  word  or  sentence  on  every  possible  occasion, 
propounding  idioms  and  peculiar  expressions  like  riddles,  to 
puzzle  the  rest. 

In  this  way,  the  labor  of  learning  was  very  considerably 
lightened,  and  everyone  came  to  know  a  few  words  of  each 
language. 

Occasionally  we  amused  ourselves  by  opening  chests  and 
packages  hitherto  untouched,  and  brought  unexpected 
treasures  to  light — mirrors,  wardrobes,  a  pair  of  console 
tables  with  polished  marble  tops,  elegant  writing  tables  and 
handsome  chairs,  clocks  of  various  descriptions,  a  musical 
box,  and  a  chronometer  were  found  ;  and  by  degrees  our 
abode  was  fitted  up  like  a  palace,  so  that  sometimes  we  won- 
dered at  ourselves,  and  felt  as  though  we  were  strutting 
about  in  borrowed  plumes. 

The  children  begged  me  to  decide  on  a  name  for  our  salt- 
oave  dwelling,  and  that  of  Rockburg  was  chosen  unani- 
mously. 

The  weeks  of  imprisonment  passed  so  rapidly,  that  no  one 
found  time  hang  heavy  on  his  hands. 

Books  occupied  me  so  much  that  but  little  carpentering 


170  TUB  S-VTISS  FJLMELT  ROBINSON. 

was  done,  yet  I  made  a  yoke  for  the  oxen,  a  pair  of  cotton 
wool  carders,  and  a  spinning  wheel  for  my  wife. 

As  the  rainy  season  drew  to  a  close,  the  weather  for  a  while 
became  wilder,  and  the  storms  fiercer  than  ever.  Thunder 
roared,  lightning  blazed,  torrents  rushed  toward  the  sea, 
which  came  in  raging  billows  to  meet  them,  lashed  to  fury 
by  the  tempests  of  wind  which  swept  the  surface  of  the  deep. 

The  uproar  of  the  elements  came  to  an  end  at  last. 

Nature  resumed  her  attitude  of  repose,  her  smiling  aspect 
of  peaceful  beauty ;  and  soon  all  traces  of  the  ravages  of 
floods  and  storms  would  disappear  beneath  the  luxuriant 
vegetation  of  the  tropics. 

Gladly  quitting  the  sheltering  walls  of  Rockburg  to  roam 
once  more  in  the  open  air,  we  crossed  Jackal  River,  for  a 
walk  along  the  coast,  and  presently  Fritz  with  his  sharp  eyes 
observed  something  on  the  small  island  near  Flamingo 
Marsh,  which  was,  he  said,  long  and  rounded,  resembling  a 
boat  bottom  upward. 

Examining  it  with  the  telescope,  I  could  f  orm  no  other  con- 
jecture, and  we  resolved  to  make  it  the  object  of  an  excursion 
next  day,  being  delighted  to  resume  our  old  habit  of  starting 
'in  pursuit  of  adventure. 

The  boat  was  accordingly  got  in  readiness  ;  it  required  some 
repairs,  and  fresh  pitching,  and  then  we  made  for  the  point  of 
interest,  indulging  in  a  variety  of  surmises  as  to  what  we 
should  find. 

It  proved  to  be  a  huge,  stranded  whale. 

The  island  being  steep  and  rocky,  it  was  necessary  to  be. 
careful ;  but  we  found  a  landing-place  on  the  further  side. 
The  boys  hurried  by  the  nearest  way  to  the  beach  where  lay 
the  monster  of  the  deep,  while  I  clambered  to  the  highest 
point  of  the  islet,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  mainland, 
from  Rockburg  to  Falconhurst. 

On  rejoining  my  sons,  I  found  them  only  half-way  to  the 
great  fish,  and  as  I  drew  near  they  shouted  in  high  glee  : 

"  Oh !  father,  just  look  at  the  glorious  shells  and  coral 
branches  we  are  finding.  How  does  it  happen  that  there  are 
such  quantities  ?  " 

"  Only  consider  how  the  recent  storms  have  stirred  the  ocean 
to  its  depths  !  No  doubt  thousands  of  shell-fish  have  been  de- 
tached from  their  rocks  and  dashed  in  all  directions  by  the 
waves,  which  have  thrown  ashore  even  so  huge  a  creature  at 
the  whale  yonder.*' 

"  Yes ;    isn't    he  a  frightful  great  brute  1 "  cried   Fritz, 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSON.  171 

*  Erer  eo  much  larger  than  he  seemed  from  a  distance.  The 
irorst  of  it  is,  one  does  not  well  see  what  use  to  make  of  tha 
huge  carcase." 

"  Why,  make  train  oil,  to  be  sure,"  said  Ernest.  "  I  can't 
say  he's  a  beauty,  though,  and  it  is  much  pleasanter  to  gather 
these  lovely  shells,  than  to  cut  up  blubber." 

"  Well,  let  us  amuse  ourselves  with  them  for  the  present," 
said  I,  "  but  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  sea  is  calmer,  we  will 
return  with  the  necessary  implements,  and  see  if  we  can  turn 
the  stranded  whale  to  good  account." 

We  were  soon  ready  to  return  to  the  boat,  but  Ernest  had 
a  fancy  for  remaining  alone  on  the  island  till  we  came  bark, 
and  asked  my  permission  to  do  so,  that  he  might  experience 
for  an  hour  or  two,  the  sensations  of  Robinson  Crusoe. 

To  this,  however,  I  would  not  consent,  assuring  him  that 
our  fate,  as  a  solitary  family,  gave  him  quite  sufficient  idea  of 
shipwreck  on  an  uninhabited  island,  and  that  his  lively  imagi. 
nation  must  supply  the  rest. 

The  boys  found  it  hard  work  to  row  back,  and  began  to  beg 
of  me  to  exert  my  wonderful  inventive  powers  in  contriving 
some  kind  of  rowing  machine. 

"  You  lazy  fellows  ! "  returned  I ;  "  give  me  the  great  clock, 
•work  out  of  a  church  tower,  perhaps  I  might  be  able  to  relieve 
your  labors." 

"  Oh,  father ! "  cried  Fritz,  "  don't  you  know  there  are  iron 
wheels  in  the  clockwork  of  the  large  kitchen-jacks  ?  I'm  sure 
mother  would  give  them  up,  and  you  could  make  something 
out  of  them,  could  you  not  ?  " 

"  By  the  time  I  have  manufactured  a  rowing-machine  out  of 
a  roasting-jack,  I  think  your  arms  will  be  pretty  well  inured 
to  the  use  of  your  oars  !  However,  I  am  far  from  despising 
the  hint,  my  dear  Fritz." 

"  Is  coral  of  any  use  ?  "  demanded  Jack  suddenly. 

"  In  f  ormer  times  it  was  pounded  and  used  by  chemists  ;  but 
it  is  now  chiefly  used  for  various  ornaments,  and  made  into 
beads  for  necklaces,  etc.  As  such,  it  is  greatly  prized  by  sav 
ages,  and  were  we  to  fall  in  with  natives,  we  might  very  posv 
eibly  find  a  store  of  coral  useful  in  bartering  with  them. 

"For  the  present,  we  will  arrange  these  treasures  of  the 
deep  in  our  library,  and  make  them  the  beginning  of  a  Museum 
of  Natural  History,  which  will  afford  us  equal  pleasure  and 
instruction." 

"  One  might  almost  say  that  coral  belongs  at  once  to  the  ank 

l,  vegetable,  and  mineral  kingdoms,"  remarked  Fritz  ;  "it 


178  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

IB  hard  like  stone,  it  has  stems  and  branches  like  a  shrnb, 
I  believe  tiny  insects  inhabit  the  cells,  do  they  not,  father? 

"  You  are  right,  Fritz  ;  coral  consists  of  the  calcareous  cells 
of  minute  animals,  so  built  up  as  to  form  a  tree-like  structure. 

"  The  coral  fishery  gives  employment  to  many  men  in  the 
Persian  Gulf,  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  other  places.  The 
instrument  commonly  used  consists  of  two  heavy  beams  of 
wood,  secured  together  at  right  angles,  and  loaded  with  stones., 
Hemp  and  netting  are  attached  to  the  under  side  of  the  beams, 
to  the  middle  of  which  is  fastened  one  end  of  a  strong  rope, 
by  which  the  apparatus  is  let  down  from  a  boat,  and  guided 
to  the  spots  where  the  coral  is  most  abundant. 

"  The  branches  of  the  coral  become  entangled  in  the  hemp 
and  network ;  they  are  broken  off  from  the  rock,  and  are 
drawn  to  the  surface  of  the  water. 

"  Left  undisturbed,  these  coral  insects,  laboring  incessantly, 
raise  foundations,  on  which,  in  course  of  time,  fertile  islands 
appear,  clothed  with  verdure,  and  inhabited  by  man." 

"  Why,  father,  here  we  are  at  the  landing  place  !  "  exclaimed 
Jack.  "  It  has  seemed  quite  easy  to  pull  since  you  began  to 
tell  us  such  interesting  things." 

"  Veiy  interesting,  indeed  ;  but  did  you  notice  that  the 
wind  had  changed,  Jack  ?  "  remarked  Ernest  as  he  shipped 
his  oar. 

The  animated  recital  of  our  adventures,  the  sight  of  the 
lovely  shells  and  corals,  and  the  proposed  work  for  the  after- 
noon, inspired  the  mother  and  Franz  with  a  great  wish  to  ac- 
company us. 

To  this  I  gladly  consented,  only  stipulating  that  we  should 
go  provided  with  food,  water,  and  a  compass.  "  For,"  said  I, 
"  the  sea  has  only  just  ceased  from  its  raging,  and  being  at 
the  best  of  times  of  uncertain  and  capricious  nature,  we  may 
chance  to  be  detained  on  the  island,  or  forced  to  land  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  home." 

Dinner  was  quickly  dispatched,  and  preparations  set  on 
foot. 

The  more  oil  we  could  obtain  the  better,  for  a  great  deal 
was  used  in  the  large  lantern  which  burnt  day  and  night  in 
the  recesses  of  the  cave  ;  therefore  all  available  casks  and 
barrels  were  pressed  into  the  service  ;  many,  of  course,  once 
full  of  pickled  herrings,  potted  pigeons,  and  other  winter 
stores,  were  now  empty,  and  we  took  a  goodly  fleet  of  these 
in  tow. 

Knives,  hatchets,  and  the  boy's  climbing  buskins,  were  put 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   EOMNSON.  ITS 

on  board,  and  we  set  forth,  the  labor  of  the  oar  being  greater 
than  ever,  now  that  our  freight  was  so  much  increased. 

The  sea  being  calm,  and  the  tide  suiting  better,  we  found 
it  easy  to  land  close  to  the  whale  ;  my  first  care  was  to  place 
the  boat,  as  well  as  the  casks,  in  perfect  security,  after  which 
we  proceeded  to  a  close  inspection  of  our  prize. 

Its  enormous  size  quite  startled  my  wife  and  her  little  boy ; 
the  length  being  from  sixty  to  sixty-five  feet,  and  the  girth 
between  thirty  and  forty,  while  the  weight  could  not  have 
been  less  than  50,000  Ibs. 

The  color  was  a  uniform  velvety  black,  and  the  enormous 
head  about  one-third  of  the  length  of  the  entire  bulk,  the  eyes 
quite  small,  not  much  larger  than  those  of  an  ox,  and  the  ears 
almost  undiscernible. 

The  jaw  opened  very  far  back,  and  was  nearly  sixteen  feet 
in  length,  the  most  curious  part  of  its  structure  being  the  re- 
markable substance  known  as  whalebone,  masses  of  which 
appeared  all  along  the  jaws,  solid  at  the  base,  and  splitting 
into  a  sort  of  fringe  at  the  extremity.  This  arrangement  is 
for  the  purpose  of  aiding  the  whale  in  procuring  its  food,  and 
separating  it  from  the  water. 

The  tongue  was  remarkably  large,  soft,  and  full  of  oil ;  the 
opening  of  the  throat  wonderfully  small,  scarcely  two  inches 
in  diameter. 

"  Why,  what  can  the  monster  eat  ?  "  exclaimed  Fritz  ;  "he 
never  can  swallow  a  proper  mouthful  down  this  little  gullet ! " 

"  The  mode  of  feeding  adopted  by  the  whale  is  so  curious," 
I  replied,  "that  I  must  explain  it  to  you  before  we  begin 
work. 

"  This  animal  (for  I  should  tell  you  that  a  whale  is  not  a 
fish  ;  he  possesses  no  gills,  he  breathes  atmospheric  air,  and 
would  be  drowned  if  too  long  detained  below  the  surface  of 
the  water)  ;  this  animal,  then,  frequents  those  parts  of  the 
ocean  best  supplied  with  the  various  creatures  on  which  he 
feeds.  Shrimps,  small  fish,  lobsters,  various  molluscs,  and  me- 
dusae form  his  diet.  Driving  with  open  [mouth  through  the 
congregated  shoals  of  these  little  creatures,  the  whale  engulfs 
them  by  millions  in  his  enormous  jaws,  and  continues  his 
destructive  course  until  he  has  sufficiently  charged  his  mouth 
with  prey. 

"  Closing  his  jaws  and  forcing  out,  through  the  interstices 
of  the  whalebone,  the  water  which  he  has  taken  together  with 
his  prey,  he  retains  the  captured  animals,  and  swallows  them 
at  Ma  leisure. 


174  THB   SWISS  FAMILY  ROWNSOX. 

**  The  nostrils,  or  blow-holes,  are  placed,  you  see,  on  the  np» 

Eer  part  of  the  head,  in  order  that  the  whale  may  rise  to 
reatbe,  and  repose  on  the  surface  of  the  sea,  showing  very 
little  of  his  huge  carcase. 

"  The  breathings  are  called  '  spoutings,'  because  a  column 
of  mixed  vapor  and  water  is  thrown  from  the  blow-holes, 
sometimes  to  a  height  of  twenty  feet. 

"  And  now,  boys,  fasten  on  your  buskins,  and  let  me  see  if 
you  can  face  the  work  of  climbing  this  slippery  mountain  of 
flesh,  and  cutting  it  up." 

Fritz  and  Jack  stripped,  and  went  to  work  directly,  scram- 
bling over  the  back  to  the  head,  where  they  assisted  me  to 
cut  away  the  lips,  so  as  to  reach  the  whale  bone,  a  large  quan- 
tity of  which  was  detached  and  carried  to  the  boat. 

Ernest  labored  manfully  at  the  creature's  side,  cutting  out 
slabs  of  blubbei,  while  his  mother  and  Franz  helped  as  weU 
as  they  could  to  put  it  hi  casks. 

Presently  we  had  a  multitude  of  unbidden  guests. 

The  air  was  filled  by  the  shrill  screams  and  hoarse  croaks 
and  cries  of  numbers  of  birds  of  prey,  they  flew  around  us  in 
ever  narrowing  circles,  and  becoming  bolder  as  their  voracity 
was  excited  by  the  near  view  of  the  tempting  prey,  they 
alighted  close  to  us,  snatching  morsels  greedily  from  under 
the  very  strokes  of  our  knives  and  hatchets. 

Our  work  was  seriously  interrupted  by  these  feathered  ma- 
rauders, who,  after  all,  were  no  greater  robbers  than  we  our- 
selves. We  kept  them  off  as  well  as  we  could  by  blows  from 
our  tools,  and  several  were  killed,  my  wife  taking  possession 
of  them  immediately  for  the  sake  of  the  feathers. 

It  was  nearly  time  to  leave  the  island,  but  first  I  stripped 
off  a  long  piece  of  the  skin,  to  be  used  for  traces,  harness, 
and  other  leather-work.  It  was  about  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  thick,  and  very  soft  and  oily — but  I  knew  it  would  shrink 
and  be  tough  and  durable. 

I  also  took  a  part  of  the  gums  in  which  the  roots  of  the 
baleen  or  whalebone  was  still  embedded,  having  read  that  this 
is  considered  quite  a  delicacy,  as  well  as  the  skin,  which,  when 
properly  dressed  and  cut  in  little  cubes,  like  black  dice,  has 
been  compared,  by  enthusiastic  and  probably  veiy  hungry 
travelers,  to  cocoanut  and  cream-cheese. 

The  boys  thought  the  tongue  might  prove  equally  palata- 
ble, bat  I  valued  it  only  on  account  of  the  large  quantity  of 
oil  it  contained. 

With  a  heavy  freight  we  cut  to  sea,  and  made  what  haste 


THIS  SWISS  FAMILY   BOBIN8OK.  175 

we  could  to  reach  home,  and  cleanse  our  persons  from  the  un- 
pleasant traces  of  the  disgusting  work  in  which  we  had  spent 
the  day. 

Next  morning  we  started  at  dawn. 

My  wife  and  Franz  were  left  behind,  for  our  proposed  work 
was  even  more  horrible  than  that  of  the  preceding  day  ;  they 
could  not  assist,  and  had  no  inclination  to  witness  it. 

It  was  my  intention  to  open  the  carcase  completely,  and, 
penetrating  the  interior,  to  obtain  various  portions  of  the  in- 
testines, thinking  that  it  would  be  possible  to  convert  the 
larger  ones  into  vessels  fit  for  holding  the  oiL  This  time  we 
laid  aside  our  clothes  and  wore  only  strong  canvas  trousers 
when  we  commenced  operations,  which  were  vigorously  car- 
ried on  during  the  whole  of  the  day  ;  then,  satisfied  that  we 
could  do  so  with  a  clear  conscience,  we  abandoned  the  remains 
to  the  birds  of  prey,  and,  with  a  full  cargo,  set  sail  for  land. 

On  the  way,  it  appeared  to  strike  the  boys  (who  had  made 
not  the  slightest  objection  to  the  singularly  unpleasant  task  I 
had  set  them),  as  very  strange  that  I  should  wish  to  possess 
what  they  had  been  working  so  hard  to  procure  for  me. 

"  What  can  have  made  you  wish  to  bring  away  that  brute's 
entrails,  father  ?  Are  they  of  any  use  ?  " 

"  There  are  countries,"  I  replied,  "  where  no  wood  grows  of 
which  to  make  barrels,  and  no  hemp  for  thread,  string,  and 
cordage.  Necessity,  the  mother  of  all  the  more  valuable 
inventions,  has  taught  the  inhabitants  of  those  countries, 
Greenlanders,  Esquimaux,  and  others,  to  think  of  substitutes, 
and  they  use  the  intestines  of  the  whale  for  one  purpose,  the 
sinews  and  nerves  for  the  other." 

We  were  right  glad  to  land,  and  get  rid,  for  the  present,  of 
our  unpleasant  materials,  the  further  preparation  of  which  was 
work  in  store  for  the  following  day. 

A  refreshing  bath,  clean  clothes,  and  supper,  cheered  00  all 
.IT),  and  we  slept  in  peace. 


THB   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON; 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  blubber  of  the  whale  boiled  and  stored — A  unique  machine — E 
dition  to  Prospect  Hill — Whale's  tongue  is  voted  no  delicacy — We 
land  on  Whale  Island — Jack  discovers  a  strange  skeleton — Turtle 
turning — Towed  ashore — The  loom  completed — Return  of  the  her- 
ring shoals — Basket  making — We  manufacture  a  sedan,  chair — 
Ernest's  wild  ride  therein — A  boa  constrictor  appears — He  retreats 
to  the  marsh — Suspense — Poor  Grizzle's  fate — An  awful  scene — 
Death  of  the  monster — An  account  of  snakes — Remedies  for  poisoned 
bites — Ernest  writes  Grizzle's  epitaph — The  serpent  stuffed  and 
placed  in  the  museum. 

"  Now  for  the  finishing  up  of  this  dirty  job,"  cried  I,  mer- 
rily, as  we  all  woke  up  next  morning  at  daybreak.  And  after 
the  regular  work  was  done,  we  commenced  operations  by  rais- 
ing a  stand  or  rough  scaffold  on  which  the  tubs  full  of  blub- 
ber were  placed  and  heavily  pressed,  so  that  the  purest  and 
finest  oil  overflowed  into  vessels  underneath. 

The  blubber  was  afterward  boiled  in  a  cauldron  over  a  fire 
kindled  at  some  distance  from  our  abode,  and  by  skimming 
and  straining  through  a  coarse  cloth,  we  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing a  large  supply  of  excellent  train-oil,  which  in  casks,  and 
bags  made  of  the  intestines,  was  safely  stowed  away  in  the 
"  cellar,"  as  the  children  called  our  roughest  storeroom.  This 
day's  work  was  far  from  agreeable,  and  the  dreadful  smell  op- 
pressed us  all,  more  especially  my  poor  wife,  who,  neverthe- 
less, endured  it  with  her  accustomed  good  temper.  Although 
she  very  urgently  recommended  that  the  new  island  should  be 
the  headquarters  for  another  colony,  where,  said  she,  "  any 
animals  we  leave  would  be  safe  from  apes  and  other  plunder- 
ers, and  where  you  would  find  it  so  very  convenient  to  boil 
whale-blubber,  strain  train-oil,  and  the  like." 

This  proposal  met  with  hearty  approval,  especially  from  the 
boys,  who  were  always  charmed  with  any  new  plan  ;  and  they 
were  eager  to  act  upon  it  at  once,  but  when  I  reminded  them 
of  the  putrifying  carcass  which  lay  there,  they  confessed  it 
would  be  better  to  allow  wind  and  storms,  birds  and  insects 
to  do  their  work  in  purging  the  atmosphere,  and  reducing  the 
whale  to  a  skeleton  before  we  revisited  the  island. 

The  idea  of  a  rowing -machine  kept  recurring  to  my  brain. 
i  determined  to  attempt  to  make  one. 

I  took  an  iron  bar,  which  when  laid  across  the  middle  of  the 
boat  projected  about  a  foot  each  way.  I  provided  this  bar  in 
the  middle  with  ribbed  machinerr.  and  at  each  end  with  a  sort 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  17T 

•rf  nave,  in  which,  as  in  a  cart  wheel,  four  flat  spokes,  or 
paddles,  were  fixed  obliquely.  These  were  intended  to  do  the 
rowers'  part. 

Then  the  jack  was  arranged  to  act  upon  the  machinery  in 
the  middle  of  the  iron  cross-bar,  in  such  a  way  that  one  of  its 
strong  cogwheels  bit  firmly  into  the  ribs,  so  that,  when  it  was 
wound  up,  it  caused  the  bar  to  revolve  rapidly,  of  course  turn- 
ing with  it  the  paddles  fixed  at  either  end,  which  consequently 
struck  the  water  so  as  to  propel  the  boat. 

Although  this  contrivance  left  much  to  be  desired  in  the 
way  of  improvement,  still  when  Fritz  and  I  wound  up  the 
machinery,  and  went  off  on  a  trial  trip  across  the  bay,  we 
splashed  along  at  such  a  famous  rate,  that  the  shores  rang 
with  the  cheers  and  clapping  of  the  whole  family,  delighted 
to  behold  what  they  considered  my  brilliant  success. 

Everyone  wanted  to  go  on  board,  and  take  a  cruise,  but  as 
it  was  getting  late,  I  could  not  consent.  A  trip  next  day, 
however,  was  promised  to  Cape  Disappointment  and  the  little 
settlement  of  Prospect  Hill. 

This  proposal  satisfied  everybody.  The  evening  was  spent 
in  preparing  the  dresses,  arms,  and  food  which  would  be  re- 
quired, and  we  retired  early  to  rest. 

Intending  to  be  out  all  day,  the  house  was  left  in  good 
order,  and  we  departed  on  our  expedition,  provided,  among 
otner  things,  with  spades  and  mattocks,  for  I  wished  to  get 
young  cocoanut  trees  and  shrubs  of  different  kinds,  that,  on 
our  way  back,  we  might  land  on  Whale  Island,  and  begin  our 
plantation  there. 

We  directed  our  course  toward  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay. 
The  sea  was  smooth,  my  rowing  machine  performed  its  work 
easily,  and,  leaving  Safety  Bay  and  Shark  Island  behind  us, 
We  enjoyed  at  our  ease  the  panorama  of  all  the  coast  scenery. 

Landing  near  Prospect  Hill,  we  moored  the  boat,  and  walked 
tWough  the  woods  to  our  little  farm,  obtaining  some  fresh 
cocoanuts,  as  well  as  young  plants,  on  the  way. 

Before  coming  in  sight  of  the  cottage  at  the  farm,  we  heard 
the  cocks  crow,  and  I  experienced  a  sudden  rush  of  emotion 
as  the  sound  recalled,  in  a  degree  painfully  vivid,  the  recollec- 
tion of  many  a  ride  and  walk  at  home,  when  we  would  be 
greeted  by  just  such  familiar  sounds  as  we  approached  some 
kind  friend's  house.  Here,  but  for  the  unconscious  animals, 
utter  solitude  and  silence  prevailed,  and  I  with  my  dear 
family,  whose  visit  would  have  been  hailed  with  delight  in  so 
many  homes,  advanced  Konoticed  to  this  lonely  cottage.  So 


THB   SWISS    FAMILY    ROBINSON. 

long  had  been  our  absence  that  our  arrival  created  a  perfect 
panic.  The  original  animals  had  forgotten  us,  and  to  their 
progeny,  lambs,  kids,  and  chickens,  who  had  never  seen  the 
face  of  man,  we  seemed  an  army  of  fierce  foes. 

The  boys  found  it  impossible  to  milk  the  goats,  until,  by 
the  use  of  the  lasso,  they  captured  them  one  after  the  other, 
bound  their  legs,  then  giving  them  salt  to  lick,  they  soon  ob- 
tained a  supply  of  excellent  milk,  which  was  poured  from  the 
cocoanut  shells  they  used  into  calabash  flasks,  so  that  we 
(Dould  take  with  us  what  was  not  required  at  dinner. 

The  fowls  were  enticed  by  handf uls  of  grain  and  rice,  and 
my  wife  caught  as  many  as  she  wished  for. 

We  were  by  this  time  very  ready  for  dinner,  and  the  cold 
provisions  we  had  with  us  were  set  forth,  the  chief  dish  con- 
sisting of  the  piece  of  whale's  tongue,  which,  by  the  boys'  desire, 
had  been  cooked  with  a  special  view  to  this  entertainment. 

But  woeful  was  the  disappointment  when  the  tongue  was 
tasted  !  Ore  after  another,  with  dismal  face,  pronounced  it 
"  horrid  stu  f,"  begged  for  some  pickled  herring  to  take  away 
the  taste  of  train-oil,  and  willingly  bestowed  on  Fangs  the 
cherished  d  linty. 

Fortuna*  ely  there  was  a  sufficient  supply  of  other  eatables, 
and  the  fresh,  delicious  cocoanuts  and  goat's  milk  put  every- 
one in  good  humor  again. 

While  the  mother  packed  everything  up,  Fritz  and  I  got 
some  sugar-cane  shoots  which  I  wished  to  plant,  and  then  we 
returned  to  the  shore  and  again  .embarked. 

Before  returning  to  Whale  Island,  I  felt  a  strong  wish  to 
round  Cape  Disappointment  and  survey  the  coast  immediately 
beyond,  but  the  promontory  maintained  the  character  of  its 
Dame,  and  we  found  that  a  long  sandbank,  as  well  as  hidden 
reefs  and  rocks,  ran  out  a  great  way  into  the  sea. 

Fritz  espying  breakers  ahead,  we  put  about  at  once,  and 
aided  by  a  light  breeze,  directed  our  course  toward  Whale 
Island. 

On  landing,  I  began  at  once  to  plant  the  saplings  we  had 
brought.  The  boys  assisted  me  for  a  while,  but  wearied  some- 
•what  of  the  occupation,  and  one  after  another  went  off  in 
search  of  shells  and  coral,  leaving  their  mother  and  me  to 
finish  the  work. 

Presently  Jack  came  back,  shouting  loudly  : 

**  Father !  Mother  I  do  come  and  look.  There  is  an  enor- 
mous skeleton  lying  here  ;  the  skeleton  of  some  fearful  groat 
beast — a  mammoth,  I  should  think." 


THB  SWISS   FAMILY  BOBTNSOK. 

"Why,  Jack  ! "  returned  I,  laughing,  "  have  yon  forgot  ow 
old  acquaintance,  the  whale  ?  What  else  could  it  be  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  father,  it  is  not  the  whale.  This  thing  has  not 
fish  bones,  but  real  good,  honest,  huge  beast  bones.  I  don't 
know  what  can  have  become  of  the  whale — floated  out  to  sea, 
most  likely.  This  mammoth  is  ever  so  much  bigger.  Come 
and  see  ! " 

As  I  was  about  to  follow  the  boy,  a  voice  from  another 
direction  suddenly  cried  : 

"  Father  !  father  !  a  great  enormous  turtle  !  Please  make 
haste.  It  is  waddling  back  to  the  sea  as  hard  as  it  can  g<>, 
and  we  can't  stop  it." 

This  appeal  being  more  pressing,  as  well  as  more  impor- 
tant than  Jack's,  I  snatched  up  an  oar  and  hastened  to  their 
assistance. 

Sure  enough  a  large  turtle  was  scrambling  quickly  toward 
the  water,  and  was  within  a  few  paces  of  it,  although  Ernest 
was  valiantly  holding  on  by  one  of  its  hind  legs. 

I  sprang  down  the  bank,  and  making  use  of  the  oar  as  a 
lever,  we  succeeded  with  some  difficulty  in  turning  the  crea- 
ture on  its  back. 

It  was  a  huge  specimen,  fully  eight  feet  long,  and  being 
now  quite  helpless,  we  left  it  sprawling,  and  went  to  inspect 
Jack's  mammoth  skeleton,  which,  of  course,  proved  to  be 
neither  more  nor  less  than  that  of  the  whale.  I  convinced 
him  of  the  fact  by  pointing  out  the  marks  of  our  feet  on  the 
ground,  and  the  broken  jaws  where  we  had  hacked  out  the 
whalebone. 

"What  can  have  made  you  take  up  that  fancy  about  a 
mammoth,  my  boy  ?  " 

"  Ernest  put  it  into  my  head,  father.  He  said  ^liere  seemed 
to  be  the  skeleton  of  an  antediluvian  monster  there,  so  I  ran 
to  look  closer,  and  I  never  thought  of  the  whale,  when  I  saw 
no  fish  bones.  I  suppose  Ernest  was  joking." 

"  Whales  are  generally  considered  as  fishes  by  those  little 
acquainted  with  the  animal  kingdom,  but  they  belong  to  the 
class  of  mammals,  which  comprises  man,  the  monkey  tribes, 
the  bats,  the  dogs  and  cats,  all  hoofed  animals,  whales  and 
their  allies,  with  other  animals,  the  last  on  the  list  being  the 
•loth. 

"The  name  by  which  they  are  distinguished  is  derived 
from  the  Latin  word  *  mamma,'  a  breast,  and  is  given  to  them 
because  all  the  species  belonging  to  this  class  are  furnished 
with  a  set  of  organs  called  the  mammary  glands,  secreting 


ISO  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

the  liquid  known  as  milk,  by  which  the  young  are  now* 
ished. 

"The  bones  of  the  whale  differ  from  those  of  animals, 
simply  in  being  of  a  hollow  construction,  and  filled  with  air 
so  as  to  render  the  carcass  more  buoyant.  The  bones  of  birds 
are  also  hollow,  for  the  same  reason,  and  in  all  this  we  see 
conspicuously  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  the  great  Creator." 

"  What  a  marvelous  structure  it  is,  father  I "  said  Fritz. 
*  What  a  ponderous  mass  of  bones  !  Can  we  not  make  use 
,of  any  of  them?" 

"  Nothing  strikes  me  at  this  moment ;  we  will  leave  them 
to  bleach  here  yet  awhile,  and  perhaps,  by  sawing  them  up 
afterward,  make  a  few  chairs,  or  a  reading  desk  for  the 
museum.  But  now  it  is  time  to  return  home.  Bring  the 
boat  round  to  where  the  turtle  awaits  his  fate ;  we  must 
settle  how  to  deal  with  him." 

It  was  soon  decided  that  he  must  swim.  I  fastened  the 
empty  water-cask  to  a  long  line,  one  end  of  which  was  made 
fast  to  the  bow  of  the  boat,  the  other  carefully  passed  round 
the  neck  and  fore  paws  of  the  creature,  who  was  then  lifted, 
so  as  to  let  him  regain  his  feet,  when  he  instantly  made  for 
the  water,  plunged  in,  the  cask  floated  after  him,  and  pre- 
vented his  sinking.  We  were  all  on  board  in  a  moment ;  and 
the  worthy  fellow,  after  vainly  attempting  to  dive,  set  him- 
self diligently  to  swim  right  forward,  towing  us  comfortably 
after  him.  I  was  ready  to  cut  the  line  on  the  least  appearance 
of  danger,  and  kept  him  on  the  course  for  Safety  Bay  by 
striking  the  water  with  a  boat-hook,  right  or  left,  according 
as  the  turtle  was  disposed  to  turn  too  much  one  way  or  the 
other. 

The  boyp  were  delighted  with  the  fun,  and  compared  me  to 
Keptune  in  his  car,  drawn  by  dolphins,  and  accompanied  by 
Amphitrite  and  attendant  Tritons. 

We  landed  safely  at  the  usual  place,  near  Rockburg,  and 
the  turtle  was  condemned  and  executed  soon  afterward  ;  the 
shell,  which  was  quite  eight  feet  long,  and  three  broad,  was, 
when  cleaned  and  prepared,  to  fonu  a  trough  for  the  water 
supply  at  the  cave,  and  the  meat  was  carefully  salted,  and 
stored  up  for  many  a  good  and  savory  meal. 

It  had  been  my  intention  to  bring  a  piece  of  land  under 
cultivation  before  the  next  rainy  season,  to  be  sown  with  dif- 
ferent sorts  of  grain  ;  but  many  unforeseen  circumstances 
had  intervened  to  hinder  this,  and  our  animals,  unaccustomed 
to  the  yoke,  were  not  available  for  the  plow. 


SWISS  FAMILY  BOBINSOff.  181 

I  therefore  gave  up  the  idea  for  the  present,  amd  applied 
myself,  with  Ernest's  assistance,  to  completing  the  loom, 
which,  although  the  workmanship  was  clumsy,  I  succeeded  in 
making  quite  fit  for  nse.  I  had  fortunately  in  my  younger 
days  spent  many  hours  in  the  workshops  of  weavers  and  other 
artisans,  and  therefore  I  understood  more  than  might  have 
been  expected  of  their  various  crafts. 

Paste  or  size  was  required  to  smear  over  the  threads  ;  but 
we  could  not  spare  flour  for  such  a  purpose,  and  I  used  isin- 
glass, which  kept  the  warp  moist  perfectly  well,  and  spared 
us  the  necessity  of  setting  up  the  loom  in  a  damp  uncomfort- 
able place,  which  has  often  to  be  done  to  prevent  the  over- 
drying  of  the  web. 

Of  this  isinglass  I  also  made  thin  plates,  to  be  used  as 
•window-panes ;  they  were  at  least  as  transparent  as  horn,  and 
when  fixed  deep  in  the  rock,  and  beyond  the  reach  of  rain, 
did  good  service  in  admitting  light. 

Success  encouraging  me  to  persevere,  I  next  began  harness- 
making  ;  the  spoils  of  the  chase  having  furnished  us  with 
plenty  of  leather,  with  which  I  covered  light  frames  of  wood, 
using  the  hairy  moss  or  lichen  for  stuffing,  and  ere  long  the 
animals  were  equipped  with  saddles,  stirrups,  bridles,  yokes,  and 
collars,  to  the  very  great  satisfaction  of  their  youthful  riders 
and  drivers. 

This  occupation  was  followed  by  a  great  deal  of  work  con- 
nected with  the  annual  return  of  the  herring  shoals,  which 
now  took  place  ;  to  them  succeeding,  as  on  former  occasions, 
shoals  of  other  fish,  and  many  seals.  More  than  ever  aware 
of  the  value  of  all  these,  we  did  not  fail  to  make  good  use  of 
our  opportunities,  and  captured  large  numbers. 

The  boys  were  getting  anxious  for  another  shooting  expedi- 
tion ;  but  before  undertaking  that,  I  wished  to  do  some 
basket-making,  as  sacks  were  beginning  to  fail  us,  and  there 
was  constant  demand  for  baskets  in  which  to  carry  and  keep 
our  roots  and  fruits.  Our  first  attempts  were  clumsy  enough  ; 
but,  as  usual,  perseverance  was  rewarded,  and  we  produced  a 
good,  supply  of  all  sorts  and  sizes.  One  very  large  basket  I 
furnished  with  openings  through  which  to  pass  a  strong  stick, 
so  that  it  might,  when  heavily  laden,  be  carried  by  two  per- 
sons. 

No  sooner  did  the  children  see  the  force  of  this  idea,  tham 
they  got  a  bamboo,  and  popping  little  Franz  into  the  basket, 
carried  him  about  in  triumph. 

This  amusement  suggested  a  fresh  notion  to  Fritz.     "  Oh, 


THE   SWISS   FAJCILT  ROBINSOX 

father,"  cried  he,  "  don't  you  think  we  might  make  something 
like  this  for  mother,  and  carry  her  much  more  comfortably 
than  jolting  along  in  the  cart  ?  " 

The  boys  shouted  with  glee  at  the  proposal,  and  though 
their  mother  thought  the  plan  feasible  enough,  she  confessed 
that  she  did  not  much  like  the  thoughts  of  sitting  in  the 
middle  of  a  basket,  and  just  looking  out  now  and  then  over 
the  rim. 

However,  I  assured  her  it  should  be  a  well-shaped,  comforfr 
able  sedan-chair,  or  litter  ;  and  the  next  question  was  how  it 
should  be  carried,  since  the  boys  could  not  play  the  part  of 
Indian  palanquin-bearers,  either  with  safety  to  their  mother, 
or  with  any  pleasure  to  themselves. 

«  The  bull  and  the  buffalo !  "  cried  Jack.  "  Why  not  use 
them  for  it  ?  Let's  go  and  try  them  now  ! " 

Off  ran  the  boys,  and  in  a  short  time  the  basket  was 
securely  hung  between  Storm  and  Grumble.  Fritz  and  Jack 
sprang  into  their  saddles,  and  Ernest  very  gingerly  deposited 
himself  in  the  "  cradle,"  as  Franz  called  it ;  they  set  forth  at 
a  most  sober  pace,  the  animals,  who  were  perfectly  docile,  ap- 
pearing only  a  little  surprised  at  the  new  arrangement. 

"  Oh,  it  is  so  pleasant,  mother,  it  is  a  delightful  motion,'* 
cried  Ernest,  as  they  passed  as  ;  '*  it  swings  and  rocks  really 
soothingly.  Quicker,  Frite  !  go  quicker  ! "  and  the  trot 
pleasing  him  equally  well,  the  pace  gradually  quickened,  till 
the  animals  were  going  along  at  a  rate  which  shook  and  jolted 
the  basket  about  most  fearfully.  Ernest  called  and  screamed 
in  vain  for  a  halt.  His  brothers  thought  it  capital  fun  to 
*'  shake  up  "  the  "  professor,"  and  made  the  circuit  of  the  level 
ground  near  Rockburg,  finally  pulling  up  in  front  of  us,  like 
performers  stopping  to  receive  the  applause  of  spectators. 

It  was  impossible  to  help  laughing,  the  scene  was  so  ridicu° 
lous,  but  Ernest  was  very  angry  with  his  brothers,  his  TV* 
preaches  provoked  high  words  in  reply,  and  a  quarrel  WAS 
imminent,  but  I  interfered,  and  showed  them  how  easily  a 
a  joke,  carried  too  far,  would  lead  to  disputes  and  bad  feeling-, 
urging  them  to  avoid  on  all  occasions  any  breach  of  the  good- 
fellowship  and  brotherly  love  which  was  the  mainstay  of  oui 
strength  and  happiness. 

Good  humor  was  soon  restored,  Ernest  himself  helped  to 
unharness  the  beasts,  and  got  some  handfuls  of  salt  and  bar- 
ley to  reward  their  exertions,  saying  that  they  must  have 
eoine  more  palanquin-practice  another  day. 

I  was  seated  with  my  wife  and  Fritz  beneath  the  shade 


TDK   ortISS   FAMILY   ROBINSOK.  181 


«f  the  veranda,  engaged  in  wicker-work,  and  chatting 
pleasantly,  when  suddenly  Fritz  got  up,  advanced  a  step  or 
two,  gazing  fixedly  along  the  avenue  which  led  from  Jackal 
River,  then  he  exclaimed  : 

"  I  see  something  so  strange  in  the  distance,  father  I  Wha. 
in  the  world  can  it  be  ?  first  it  seems  to  be  drawn  in  coils  or 
the  ground  like  a  cable,  then  uprises  as  it  were  a  little  mast, 
then  that  sinks,  and  the  coils  move  along  again.  It  is  cumin  / 
toward  the  bridge." 

My  wife  took  alarm  at  this  description,  and  calling  the 
other  boys,  retreated  into  the  cave,  where  I  desired  them  to 
close  up  the  entrances,  and  keep  watch  with  firearms  at  the 
upper  windows.  These  were  openings  we  had  made  in  the 
rock  at  some  elevation,  reached  within  by  steps,  and  a  kind 
of  gallery  which  passed  along  the  front  of  the  rooms. 

Fritz  remained  by  me  while  I  examined  the  object  through 
my  spyglass. 

"  It  is,  as  I  feared,  an  enormous  serpent  !  "  cried  I  ;  "it 
advances  directly  this  way,  and  we  shall  be  placed  in  the 
greatest  possible  danger,  for  it  will  cross  the  bridge  to  a 
certainty. 

"  May  we  not  attack  it,  father  ?  "  exclaimed  the  brave  boy. 

"  Only  with  the  greatest  caution,"  returned  I  ;  "it  is  far 
too  formidable,  and  too  tenacious  of  life,  for  us  rashly  to 
attempt  its  destruction.  Thank  God,  we  are  at  Rockburg, 
where  we  can  keep  in  safe  retreat,  while  we  watch  for  an 
opportunity  to  destroy  this  frightful  enemy.  Go  up  to  your 
mother  now,  and  assist  in  preparing  the  firearms  ;  I  will  join 
you  directly,  but  I  must  further  observe  the  monster's  more- 
ments." 

Fritz  left  me  unwillingly,  while  I  continued  to  watch 
the  serpent,  which  was  of  gigantic  size,  and  already  much  too 
near  the  bridge  to  admit  of  the  possibility  of  removing  thao 
means  of  access  to  our  dwelling.  I  recollected,  too,  how 
easily  it  would  pass  through  the  walls.  The  reptile  advanced 
with  writhing  and  undulatory  movements,  from  time  to  time 
rearing  its  head  to  the  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  and 
slowly  turning  it  about,  as  though  on  the  lookout  for  prey. 

As  it  crossed  the  bridge,  with  a  slow,  suspicious  motion,  I 
withdrew,  and  hastily  rejoined  my  little  party,  which  was  pre- 
paring to  garrison  our  fortress  in  warlike  array,  but  with  con- 
siderable trepidation,  which  my  presence  served  in  a  measure 
to  allay. 

We  placed  ourselves  at  the  upper  openings,  after  strongly 


|84  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

barricading  everything  below,  and,  ourselves  unseen,  awaited 
with  beating  hearts  the  further  advance  of  the  foe,  which 
speedily  became  visible  to  us. 

Its  movements  appeared  to  become  uncertain,  as  though 
puzzled  by  the  trace  of  human  habitation  ;  it  turned  in  dif- 
ferent directions,  coiling  and  uncoiling,  and  frequently  rear- 
ing its  head,  but  keeping  about  the  middle  of  the  space  iu 
front  of  the  cave,  when  suddenly,  as  though  unable  to  resist 
doing  so,  one  after  another  the  boys  tired,  and  even  their 
mother  discharged  her  gun.  The  shots  took  not  the  slightest 
effect  beyond  startling  the  monster,  whose  movements  were 
accelerated.  Fritz  and  I  also  fired  with  steadier  aim,  but  with 
the  same  want  of  success,  for  the  monster,  passing  on  with  a 
gliding  motion,  entered  the  reedy  marsh  to  the  left,  and  en- 
tirely disappeared. 

A  wonderful  weight  seemed  lifted  from  our  hearts,  while 
all  eagerly  discussed  the  vast  length  and  awful  though  mag- 
nificent appearance  of  the  serpent.  I  had  recognized  it  as  the 
boa  constrictor.  It  was  a  vast  specimen,  upward  of  thirty 
feet  in  length. 

I  explained  to  the  children  that  its  name  in  South  America 
is  Boaguacu  ;  the  first  syllable  of  that  word,  with  the  Latin  ad- 
dition, which  indicates  that  it  kills  its  prey  by  pressure,  or 
"  constriction,"  gives  the  name  by  which  it  is  commonly  known. 

The  near  neighborhood  of  this  terrific  reptile  occasioned 
me  the  utmost  anxiety ;  and  I  desired  that  no  one  should 
leave  the  house  on  any  pretense  whatever,  without  my  ex- 
press permission. 

During  three  whole  days  we  were  kept  in  suspense  and 
fear,  not  daring  to  stir  above  a  few  hundred  steps  from  the 
door,  although  during  all  that  time  the  enemy  showed  nc 
sign  of  his  presence. 

In  fact,  we  might  have  been  induced  to  think  the  boa  had 
passed  across  the  swamp,  and  found  his  way  by  some  cleft  or 
chasm  through  the  wall  of  cliffs  beyond,  had  not  the  restless 
behavior  of  our  geese  and  ducks  given  proof  that  he  still  lurked 
in  the  thicket  of  reeds  which  they  were  accustomed  to  make 
their  nightly  resting  place. 

They  swam  anxiously  about,  and  with  much  clapping  of 
wings  and  disturbed  cackling  showed  their  uneasiness ; 
finally  taking  wing  they  crossed  the  harbor,  and  took  up  their 
quarters  on  Shark  Island. 

My  embarrassment  increased,  as  time  passed  on.  I  could 
not  venture  to  attack  with  insufficient  force  a  monstrous  and 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSO5T.  185 

formidable  serpent  concealed  in  dense  thickets  amidst  danger- 
ous swamps  ;  yet  it  was  dreadful  to  live  in  a  state  of  blockade, 
cut  off  from  all  the  important  duties  in  which  we  were  en- 
gaged, and  shut  up  with  our  animals  in  the  unnatural  light  of 
the  cave,  enduring  constant  anxiety  and  perturbation. 

Out  of  this  painful  state  we  were  at  last  delivered  by  none 
other  than  our  good  old  simple-hearted  donkey;  not,  however, 
by  the  exercise  of  a  praiseworthy  quality,  such  as  the  vigilance 
of  the  time-honored  geese  of  the  Capitol,  but  by  sheer  stupidity. 

Our  situation  was  rendered  the  more  critical  from  having  no 
great  stock  of  provisions,  or  fodder  for  the  animals ;  and  the 
nay  failing  us  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day,  I  determined 
to  set  them  at  liberty  by  sending  them,  under  the  guidance  of 
Fritz,  across  the  river  at  the  ford. 

He  was  to  ride  Lightf oot,  and  they  were  to  be  fastened  to- 
gether until  safely  over. 

Next  morning  we  began  to  prepare  for  this  by  tying  them 
in  a  line,  and  while  so  engaged  my  wife  opened  the  door,  when 
old  Grizzle,  who  was  fresh  and  frolicsome  after  the  long  rest 
and  regular  feeding,  suddenly  broke  away  from  the  halter,  cut 
some  awkward  capers,  then  bolting  out,  careered  at  full  gallop 
straight  for  the  marsh. 

In  vain  we  called  him  by  name.  Fritz  would  even  have 
rushed  after  him,  had  not  I  held  him  back.  In  another 
moment  the  ass  was  close  to  the  thicket,  and  with  the  cold 
shudder  of  horror,  we  beheld  the  snake  rear  itself  from  its 
lair,  the  fiery  eyes  glanced  around,  the  dark,  deadly  jaws  opened 
widely,  the  forked  tongue  darted  greedily  forth — poor  Grizzle's 
fate  was  sealed. 

Becoming  aware  on  a  sudden  of  his  danger,  he  stopped 
short,  spread  out  all  four  legs,  and  set  up  the  most  piteous 
and  discordant  bray  that  ever  wrung  echo  from  rocks. 

Swift  and  straight  as  a  fencer's  thrust,  the  destroyer  was 
upon  him,  wound  round  him,  entangled,  enfolded,  compressed 
him,  all  the  while  cunningly  avoiding  the  convulsive  kicks  of 
the  agonized  animal. 

A  cry  of  horror  arose  from  the  spectators  of  this  miserable 
tragedy. 

"  Shoot  him,  father  !  oh,  shoot  him — do  save  poor  Grizzle  !  'r 

"  My  children,  it  is  impossible  ! "  cried  I,  "  Our  old  friend 
is  lost  to  us  for  ever  !  I  have  hopes,  however,  that  when  gorged 
with  his  prey  we  may  be  able  to  attack  the  snake  with  some 
chance  of  success." 

"  But  the  horrible  wretoh  is  never  going  to  swallow  him 


186  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   KOB1NSON. 

all  at  once,  father  ?  "  cried  Jack.     "  That  will  be  too  shook 
ing!" 

"  Snakes  have  no  grinders,  but  only  fangs,  therefore  they 
cannot  chew  their  food,  and  must  swallow  it  whole.  But  al- 
though the  idea  is  startling,  it  is  not  really  more  shocking 
than  the  rending,  tearing,  and  shedding  of  blood  which  oc- 
curs when  the  lions  and  tigers  seize  their  prey." 

"  But,"  said  Franz,  "  how  can  the  snake  separate  the  flesh 
from  the  bones  without  teeth  ?  And  is  this  kind  of  snake 
poisonous  ?  " 

"  No,  dear  child,"  said  I,  "  only  fearfully  strong  and  fero- 
cious. And  it  has  no  need  to  tear  the  flesh  from  the  bones. 
It  swallows  them,  skin,  hair,  and  all,  and  digests  everything 
in  its  stomach." 

"  It  seems  utterly  impossible  that  the  broad  ribs,  the  strong 
legs,  hoofs,  and  all,  should  go  down  that  throat,"  exclaimed 
Fritz. 

"  Only  see,"  I  replied,  "  how  the  monster  deals  with  his 
victim  ;  closer  and  more  tightly  he  curls  his  crushing  folds, 
the  bones  give  way,  he  is  kneading  him  into  a  shapeless  mass. 
He  will  soon  begin  to  gorge  his  prey,  aud  slowly  but  surely  it 
will  disappear  down  that  distended  maw  !  " 

The  mother,  with  little  Franz,  found  the  scene  all  too 
horrible,  and  hastened  into  the  cave,  trembling  and  dis- 
tressed. 

To  the  rest  of  us  there  seemed  a  fearful  fascination  in  the 
dreadful  sight,  and  we  could  not  move  from  the  spot.  I 
expected  that  the  boa,  before  swallowing  his  prey,  would  cover 
it  with  saliva,  to  aid  in  the  operation,  although  it  struck  me 
that  its  very  slender  forked  tongue  was  about  the  worst  pos- 
sible implement  for  such  a  purpose. 

It  was  evident  to  us,  however,  that  this  popular  idea  wa« 
erroneous. 

The  act  of  lubricating  the  mass  must  have  taken  place 
during  the  process  of  swallowing  j  certainly  nothing  was 
applied  beforehand. 

This  wonderful  performance  lasted  from  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing until  noon.  When  the  awkward  morsel  was  entirely 
swallowed,  the  serpent  lay  stiff,  distorted,  and  apparently  in- 
aensible  along  the  edge  of  the  marsh. 

I  felt  that  now  or  never  was  the  moment  for  attack  ! 

Calling  on  my  sons  to  maintain  their  courage  and  presence 
of  mind,  I  left  our  retreat  with  a  feeling  of  joyous  emotion 
quite  new  to  me,  and  approached  with  rapid  steps  and  ley- 


THB   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBIXSO1C.  187 

eled  gun  the  outstretched  form  of  the  serpent.  Fritz  fol- 
lowed me  closely. 

Jack,  somewhat  timidly,  came  several  paces  behind  ;  while 
Ernest,  after  a  little  hesitation,  remained  where  he  was. 

The  monster's  body  was  stiff  and  motionless,  which  made 
its  rolling  and  fiery  eyes,  and  the  slow,  spasmodic  undulations 
of  its  tail  more  fearful  by  contrast. 

We  fired  together,  and  both  balls  entered  the  skull ;  the 
light  of  the  eye  was  extinguished,  and  the  only  movement 
was  in  the  further  extremity  of  the  body,  which  rolled,  writhed, 
coiled,  and  lashed  from  side  to  side. 

Advancing  closer,  we  fired  our  pistols  directly  into  its  head, 
a  convulsive  quiver  ran  through  the  mighty  frame,  and  the 
boa  constrictor  lay  dead. 

As  we  raised  a  cry  of  victory,  Jack,  desirous  of  a  share  in 
the  glory  of  conquest,  ran  close  to  the  creature,  firing  his  pistol 
into  its  side,  when  he  was  sent  sprawling  over  and  over  by  a 
movement  of  its  tail,  excited  to  a  last  galvanic  effort  by  the 
shot. 

Being  in  no  way  hurt,  he  speedily  recovered  his  feet,  and 
declared  he  had  given  it  its  quietus. 

"  I  hope  the  terrible  noise  you  made  just  now  was  the  signal 
of  victory,"  said  my  wife,  drawing  near,  with  the  utmost  cir- 
cumspection, and  holding  Franz  tightly  by  the  hand.  "  I  was 
half  afraid  to  come,  I  assure  you." 

"  See  this  dreadful  creature  dead  at  our  feet ;  and  let  us 
thank  God  that  we  have  been  able  to  destroy  such  an  enemy." 

"  What's  to  be  done  with  him  now  ?"  asked  Jack. 

"Let  us  get  him  stuffed,"  said  Fritz, "  and  set  him  up  in  the 
museum  among  our  shells  and  corals." 

"  Did  anybody  ever  think  of  eating  serpents  ?  "  inquired 
Franz. 

"  Of  course  not !  "  said  his  mother.  "  Why,  child,  serpents 
are  poisonous — it  would  be  very  dangerous." 

"  Excuse  me,  my  dear  wife,"  said  I.  "  First  of  all,  the  boa 
is  not  poisonous ;  and  then,  besides  that,  the  flesh  of  even 
poisonous  snakes  can  be  eaten  without  danger  ;  as,  for  instance, 
the  rattlesnake,  from  which  can  be  made  a  strong  and  nourish* 
ing  soup,  tasting  very  like  good  chicken  broth — of  course,  the 
oook  must  be  told  to  throw  away  the  head,  containing  the 
deadly  fangs. 

"  It  is  remarkable  that  pigs  do  not  fear  poisonous  snakes, 
bat  can  kill  and  eat  them  without  injury.  An  instance  of 
this  occurs  to  my  memory.  A  vessel  on  Lake  Superior,  in 


188  THK    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

North  America,  was  wrecked  on  a  small  island  abounding  in 
rattlesnakes,  and  for  that  reason  uninhabited. 

"  The  vessel  had  a  cargo  of  live  pigs.  The  crew  escaped  to 
the  mainland  in  a  boat,  but  the  pigs  had  to  be  left  for  some, 
time,  till  the  owner  could  return  to  fetch  them,  but  with  the 
small  hope  of  finding  many  left  alive. 

"  To  his  surprise,  the  animals  were  not  only  alive,  but  re- 
markably fat  and  flourishing,  while  not  a  single  rattlesnake 
remained  on  the  island.  The  pigs  had  clearly  eaten  the 
serpents." 

"But  might  not  some  other  cause  have  been  assigned  for 
''their  disappearance  ?  "  asked  Ernest.  "  Suppose,  for  example, 
that  a  great  flight  of  secretary  birds  had  arrived,  they  might 
have  cleared  the  island  of  rattlesnakes." 

"Oh,  what  is  a  secretary  bird?"  interrupted  Franz.  "I 
thought  a  secretary  meant  a  man  who  wrote  letters  ?  " 

"  So  it  does,  Franz,  and  the  bird  Ernest  spoke  of  has  cur- 
ious long  feathers  projecting  from  either  side  of  its  head, 
something  like  pens  stuck  behind  a  man's  ear  ;  hence  its 
name. 

"  It  is  perfectly  true  that  it  lives  on  snakes,  lizards,  toads, 
and  frogs,  but,  Ernest,  I  cannot  give  up  my  pigs  ;  for,  in  the 
first  place,  the  secretary  bird  is  an  inhabitant  of  Southern 
Africa,  and  is  never  seen  in  North  America,  neither  does  it 
ever  fly  in  a  flock  ;  still,  so  ravenous  is  its  appetite,  that,  no 
doubt,  even  one  or  two,  had  they  by  some  miracle  found  them- 
selves  on  Lake  Superior,  would  have  been  able  to  give  a  very 
good  account  of  the  deadly  reptiles,  and  at  least  shared  in  thfr 
glory  of  their  extermination." 

My  wife  having  gone  to  prepare  dinner,  we  continued  talk* 
big  as  we  rested  in  the  shade  of  some  rocks,  near  the  serpent/ 
for  a  considerable  time.  The  open  air  was  welcome  to  us 
after  our  long  imprisonment :  and  we  were,  besides,  desirous 
to  drive  off  any  birds  of  prey  who  might  be  attracted  to  the 
•arcass,  which  we  wished  to  preserve  entire. 

My  boys  questioned  me  closely  on  the  subject  of  serpents  in 
general ;  and  I  described  to  them  the  action  of  the  poison 
fangs  ;  how  they  folded  back  on  the  sides  of  the  upper  jaw  ; 
and  how  the  poison-secreting  gland?  and  reservoir  are  found 
at  the  back  and  sides  of  the  head,  giving  to  the  venomous  ser- 
pents that  peculiar  width  of  head  which  is  so  unfailing  a  char- 
acteristic. 

"  The  fangs  are  hollow,"  said  I,  "  and  when  the  creature 
bites,  the  pressure  forces  down  a  tiny  drop  of  the  liquid  poison, 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  18* 

which  enters  the  wound,  and,  through  the  veins,  quickly 
spreads  over  the  entire  system.  Sometimes,  if  taken  in  time, 
cures  are  effected,  but  in  most  cases  the  bite  of  a  serpent  is 
followed  by  speedy  death." 

The  children  were  much  interested  in  my  account  of  the 
snake-charmers  of  India,  how  they  fearlessly  handle  the  most 
deadly  of  the  serpent  tribe,  the  Cobra  di  Capello — or  hooded 
cobra — cause  them  to  move  in  time  to  musical  sounds  from  a 
small  pipe,  twine  the  reptile  about  their  arms  and  bare  necks, 
and  then,  to  prove  that  the  poison  fangs  have  not  been  re- 
moved, make  them  bite  a  fowl,  which  soon  dies  from  the 
effects. 

"  How  is  it  possible  to  extract  the  fangs,  father ! "  asked 
Ernest. 

"  No  instrument  is  required,"  replied  I ;  "  I  have  read  the 
account  written  by  a  gentleman  in  India,  who  saw  a  snake* 
charmer  catch  a  large  cobra  in  the  jungle,  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  removing  the  fangs,  hold  up  a  cloth  at  which  the  irri- 
tated snake  flew,  and  the  fangs  being  caught  in  it,  the  man 
seized  the  reptile  by  the  throat,  extracted  them,  and  then 
squeezed  out  the  poison,  a  clear  oily  substance,  upon  a 
leaf." 

"  What  does  the  rattle  of  the  rattlesnake  look  like  ?  and 
how  does  it  sound  ?  " 

"At  the  tip  of  the  tail  are  a  number  of  curious,  loose,  horny 
structures  formed  of  the  same  substance  as  the  scales.  A 
very  good  idea  of  the  structure  of  the  rattle  may  be  formed 
by  slipping  a  number  of  thimbles  loosely  into  each  other. 
" "  The  rattlesnake  lies  coiled  with  its  head  flat,  and  tne  tip 
of  its  tail  elevated  ;  when  alarmed  or  irritated  it  gives  a 
quivering  movement  to  the  tail  which  causes  the  joints  of  the 
rattle  to  shake  against  each  other  with  a  peculiar  sound  not 
easily  described  ;  all  animals,  even  horses  newly  brought  from 
Europe,  tremble  at  this  noise,  and  try  to  escape." 

"  What  is  the  best  thing  to  be  done  for  the  bite  of  a  s«r- 
pent  ?  "  inquired  Fritz. 

"  Remedies  are  very  various,  very  uncertain,  and  differ  with 
the  species  inflicting  the  bite. 

"  Suction,  ammonia,  oil,  the  use  of  the  knife,  application  of 
fresh  mold,  lunar  caustic,  leaves  of  certain  plants,  all  these 
and  more  are  mentioned.  There  is  a  creeping  plant,  called 
Aristolochia  indica,  the  leaves  of  which  have  in  repeated  in- 
stances done  wonders  for  fearful  bites.  It  is  found  in  many 
parts  of  the  world,  but  most  plentifully  in  the  hotter  regions. 


100  THE    SWISS    FAMILY    ROBINLOBT. 

"  A  mode  of  cure  adopted  by  the  natives  of  India, 
and  parts  of  Africa,  is  by  the  application  of  a  remarkable  ob- 
)ect  called  snake-stone.  These  are  described  as  flattish,  some- 
thing like  half  an  almond  with  squared  ends,  rather  light, 
bearing  a  very  high  polish,  and  of  an  intense  jetty  black. 

"  On  being  bitten  by  a  cobra,  the  sufferer  applies  one  of 
these  *  stones'  to  each  puncture,  where  they  adhere  strongly 
for  a  time,  five  or  six  minutes  being  about  the  average.  They 
seem  to  absorb  the  blood  as  it  flows  from  the  wound,  and  at 
last  fall  off,  when  the  danger  is  considered  to  be  over. 

u  But  now  we  must  leave  this  fertile  subject  of  discussion, 
and  I  can  only  say  I  sincerely  trust  we  may  never  have  cause 
to  resume  it  from  the  appearance  of  another  serpent  here  of 
any  sort,  size,  or  description, 

"  Come,  Ernest,  can  you  not  give  us  an  epitaph  for  our  un- 
fortunate friend  the  donkey  ? 

"  We  must  afford  him  more  honorable  sepulture  than  he  en- 
joys at  present,  when  we  proceed,  as  we  speedily  must,  to  dis- 
embowel his  murderer." 

Ernest  took  the  matter  quite  seriously,  and  planting  his  el- 
DOWS  on  his  knees,  he  bent  his  thoughtful  brow  in  his  hands, 
and  remained  wrapt  in  poetic  meditation  for  about  two  min« 
utes. 

"  I  have  it !  "  cried  he ;  "  but  perhaps  you  will  all  laugh  at 
me?" 

"  No,  no,  don't  be  shy,  old  fellow  ;  spit  it  out !  "  and  thus 
encouraged  by  his  brother,  Ernest,  with  the  blush  of  a  modes* 
author,  began  : 

'•  Beneath  this  stone  poo?  Grizzle's  bones  are  laid, 

A  faithful  ass  he  was,  and  loved  by  all. 
At  length,  his  master's  voice  he  disobeyed, 

And  thereby  came  his  melancholy  fall. 
A  monstrous  serpent,  springing  from  the  grass, 

Seized,  crushed,  and  swallowed  him  before  our  eyes. 
But  we,  though  yet  we  mourn  oor  honest  ass, 

Are  grateful ;  for  he  thereby  saved  the  lives 
Of  all  the  human  beings  on  this  shore — 

A  father,  mother,  and  their  children  four." 

•'  Hurrah  for  the  epitaph  !  Well  done,  Ernest !  "  resounded 
on  all  sides,  and  taking  out  a  large  red  pencil  I  used  for  mark- 
ing wood,  the  lines  were  forthwith  inscribed  on  a  great  flat 
•tone,  being,  as  I  told  the  boy,  the  very  best  poetry  that  had 
ever  been  written  on  our  coast. 

We  then  had  dinner,  and  Afterward  went  to  work  with  the 


THB   SWISS  FAMILY   BOBINSON.  191 

The  first  operation  was  to  recover  the  mangled  remains  of 
the  ass,  which  being  effected,  he  was  buried  in  the  soft  marshy 
ground  close  by,  and  the  hole  filled  up  with  fragments  of  rocK. 

Then  we  yoked  Storm  and  Grumble  to  the  serpent,  and 
dragged  it  to  a  convenient  distance  fromRockburg,  where  the 
process  of  skinning,  stuffing,  and  sewing  up  again  afforded  oc* 
cupation  of  the  deepest  interest  to  the  boys  for  several  days. 

We  took  great  pains  to  coil  it  round  a  pole  in  the  museum, 
arranging  the  head  with  the  jaws  wide  open,  so  as  to  look 
as  alarming  as  possible,  and  contriving  to  make  eyes  and 
tongue  sufficiently  well  to  represent  nature  ;  in  fact,  our 
dogs  never  passed  the  monster  without  growling,  and  must 
have  wondered  at  our  taste  in  keeping  such  a  pet. 

Over  the  entrance  leading  to  the  museum  and  library  were 
inscribed  these  words  : 

NO   ADMITTANCE  FOE  ASSES. 

The  double  meaning  of  this  sentence  pleased  us  all  immensely. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

W«  examine  the  marsh — A  cave  discovered — We  find  the  floor  covered 
with  fuller's  earth — Discharge  our  pistols — Jack's  fright — Ernest 
captures  an  eel — An  expedition  toward  the  Gap — Visit  Falconhurst 
and  Woodlands  and  examine  the  country  round — Franz  shoots  a 
capybara — Ernest  and  Knips  fight  the  rats — A  lecture  on  musk — 
Cinnamon  apples — A  peccary  hunt — We  prepare  the  peccary  meat 
— Disasters  at  Prospect  Hill — An  exploring  expedition  through  the 
Gap — We  find  pur  barrier  broken  down  across  the  desert — Strange 
objects  in  the  distance — An  account  of  ostriches — An  ostrich  slain — 
We  discover  the  nest — A  mud  tortoise — We  encounter  bears — A  des- 
perate fight — Back  again  to  camp — We  skin  the  bears  and  smoke 
their  flesh — Pepper  found— Three  of  the  boys  start  on  an  expeditiou 
— I  discover  talc. 

THE  greatest  danger  to  which  we  had  yet  been  exposed  was 
low  over,  but  there  remained  much  anxiety  in  my  mind  lest 
another  serpent  might,  unseen  by  us,  have  entered  the  swamp, 
or  might  appear,  as  this  had  done,  from  the  country  beyond 
Falconhurst. 

I  projected  then  two  excursions,  the  first  to  make  a  thorough 
examination  of  the  thicket  and  morass  ;  the  next  right  away 
to  the  Gap,  through  which  alone  the  arch-enemy  could  have 
entered  our  territory. 

On  summoning  my  sons  to  accompany  me  to  th<?  marsh,  I 


192  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

found  neither  Ernest  nor  Jack  very  eager  to  do  so,  the  latter 
vowing  he  had  the  cold  shivers  each  time  he  thought  how  his 
ribs  might  have  been  smashed  by  the  last  flap  of  the  snake's 
tail ;  but  I  did  not  yield  to  their  reluctance,  and  we  finally  set 
about  crossing  the  marsh  by  placing  planks  and  wicker  hurdles 
on  the  ground,  and  changing  their  places  as  we  advanced. 

Nothing  was  discovered  beyond  tracks  in  the  reeds  and  tb« 
creature's  lair  ;  where  the  rushes,  grass,  and  bog-plants  were 
beaten  down. 

Emerging  beyond  the  thicket  we  found  ourselves  on  firm 
ground,  near  the  precipitous  wall  of  rock,  and  perceived  a 
clear  sparkling  brook  flowing  from  an  opening,  which  proved 
to  be  a  cave  or  grotto  of  considerable  size. 

The  vaulted  roof  was  covered  with  stalactites,  while  many 
formed  stately  pillars,  which  seemed  as  though  supporting  the 
roof.  The  floor  was  strewn  with  fine  snow-white  earth,  with  a 
smooth  soapy  feeling,  which  I  felt  convinced  was  fuller's  earth. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  pleasant  discovery  !  "  said  I.  "  This  is  as 
good  as  soap  for  washing,  and  will  save  me  the  trouble  of 
turning  soap-boiler." 

Perceiving  that  the  streamlet  flowed  from  an  opening  of 
some  width  in  the  inner  rock,  Fritz  passed  through,  in  order 
to  trace  it  to  its  source,  presently  shouting  to  me  that  the 
opening  widened  very  much,  and  begging  me  to  follow  him. 

I  did  so,  leaving  the  other  boys  in  the  outer  cave,  and  fired 
a  pistol-shot — the  reverberating  echoes  of  which  testified  to 
the  great  extent  of  the  place  ;  and  lighting  the  bit  of  candle 
I  always  carried  with  me,  we  advanced,  the  light  burning  clear 
and  steadily,  though  shedding  a  very  feeble  light  in  so  vast  a 
space. 

Suddenly  Fritz  exclaimed  : 

"  I  verily  believe  this  is  a  second  cave  of  salt !  See  how 
the  walls  glance  !  and  how  the  light  is  reflected  from  the 
roof  ! " 

"  These  cannot  be  salt  crystals,"  said  I  ;  "  the  water  which 
flows  over  them  leaves  no  track,  and  tastes  quite  sweet.  I 
am  rather  inclined  to  believe  that  we  have  penetrated  into  a 
cave  of  rock  crystal  !  " 

"  Oh,  how  splendid  1  Then  we  have  discovered  a  great 
treasure  1 " 

"  Certainly,  if  we  could  make  any  use  of  it ;  otherwise,  in 
our  situation,  it  is  about  as  valuable  as  the  lump  of  gold  found 
by  good  old  Robinson  Crusoe." 
"  Anyhow,  I  will  break  oif  a  piece  for  a  specimen.    See, 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  191 

bere  is  a  fine  bit,  only  rather  dull,  and  not  transparent ;  what 
a  pity  !  I  must  knock  off  another." 

"  You  must  go  more  carefully  to  work,  or  it  will  look  as 
dull  as  the  first.  You  destroyed  its  true  form,  which  is  that 
of  a  pyramid,  with  six  sides  or  faces." 

We  remained  some  time  in  this  interesting  grotto,  but  our 
light  burnt  low  after  we  had  examined  it  in  different  direc- 
tions ;  and  Fritz  having  secured  a  large  lump,  which  exhibited 
ieveral  crystals  in  perfection,  we  quitted  the  place,  Fritz  dis- 
charging a  farewell  shot  for  the  sake  of  hearing  the  grand 
echoes. 

On  reaching  the  open  air  we  saw  poor  Jack  sobbing  bitterly, 
but  as  soon  as  we  appeared  he  ran  joyfully  toward  us,  and  threw 
himself  into  my  arms. 

"  My  child,  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  I  cried  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  I  thought  you  were  lost !  I  heard  a  noise  twice,  as 
if  the  rocks  had  shattered  down  ;  and  I  thought  you  and  Frit* 
were  crushed  in  the  rains  !  It  was  horrible  !  How  glad  I 
am  to  see  you  ! " 

I  comforted  the  child,  and  explained  the  noises  he  had  heard, 
inquiring  why  he  was  alone  ? 

"  Ernest  is  over  there  among  the  reeds  :  I  daresay  he  did 
not  hear  the  shots." 

I  found  Ernest  busily  engaged  in  weaving  a  basket  in 
which  to  catch  fish  ;  he  had  devised  it  ingeniously,  with  a 
funnel-shaped  entrance  ;  through  which  the  fish  passing  would 
not  easily  find  their  way  out,  but  would  remain  swimming 
about  in  the  wide  part  of  the  apparatus. 

"  I  shot  a  young  serpent  while  you  were  away,  father," 
said  he.  "  It  lies  there  covered  with  rushes  ;  it  is  nearly  four 
feet  long,  and  as  thick  as  my  arm." 

"A  serpent ! "  cried  I,  hurrying  toward  it  in  alarm,  and 
fearing  there  must  be  a  brood  of  them  in  the  swamp  after 
all. 

"A  fine  large  eel,  you  mean,  my  boy.  This  will  provide  an 
excellent  supper  for  us  to-night.  I  am  glad  you  had  the 
courage  to  kill  it,  instead  of  taking  to  your  heels  and  fleeing 
from  the  supposed  serpent." 

"  Well,  I  thought  it  would  be  so  horrid  to  be  pursued  and 
caught  that  I  preferred  facing  it ;  my  shot  took  effect,  but  it 
was  very  difficult  to  kill  the  creature  outright,  it  moved  about 
although  its  head  was  smashed." 

"  The  tenacity  of  life  possessed  by  eels  is  very  remarkable," 
I  said.  "  I  have  heard  that  the  best  mode  of  killing  them  if 


194  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

to  grasp  them  by  the  neck  and  slap  their  tails  smartly  againC 
a  stone  or  post. 

We  made  OUT  way  back  more  easily  by  keeping  close  to 
the  cliffs,  where  the  ground  was  firmer,  and  found  the  mother 
washing  clothes  at  the  fountain.  She  rejoiced  greatly  at  our 
§afe  return,  and  was  much  pleased  with  the  supply  of  fuller's 
earth,  as  she  said  there  was  now  very  little  soap  left.  The 
eel  was  cooked  for  eupper,  and  during  the  evening  a  full 
account  was  given  of  our  passage  through  the  swamp,  and 
discovery  of  the  rock-crystal  cavern. 

It  was  most  important  to  ascertain  whether  any  serpent 
Inrked  among  the  woods  of  our  little  territory  between  the 
cliffs  and  the  sea.  Preparations  were  set  on  foot  for  the 
second  and  greater  undertaking  of  a  search  throughout  the 
country  beyond  the  river,  as  far  as  the  Gap.  I  wished  all 
the  family  to  go  on  the  expedition,  a  decision  which  gave 
universal  satisfaction. 

Intending  to  be  engaged  in  this  search  for  several  weeks, 
we  took  the  small  tent  and  a  store  of  all  sorts  of  necessary 
provisions,  as  well  as  firearms,  tools,  cooking  utensils,  and 
torches. 

All  these  things  were  packed  on  the  cart,  which  was  drawn 
by  Storm  and  Grumble.  Jack  and  Franz  mounted  them,  and 
acted  at  once  the  part  of  riders  and  drivers.  My  wife  sat 
comfortably  in  the  cart,  Fritz  rode  in  advance,  while  Ernest 
and  I  walked  ;  we  were  protected  in  flank  by  the  dogs  and 
Fangs,  the  tame  jackal. 

Directing  our  course  toward  Woodlands,  we  saw  many  traces 
of  the  serpent's  approach  to  Rockburg.  In  some  places,  where 
the  soil  was  loose,  the  trail,  like  a  broad  furrow,  was  very  evi- 
dent indeed. 

At  Falconhurst  we  made  a  halt,  and  were,  as  usual,  wel- 
comed by  the  poultry,  as  well  as  by  the  sheep  and  goats. 

We  then  passed  on  to  Woodlands,  where  we  arrived  a* 
nightfall.  All  was  peaceful  and  in  good  order  ;  no  track  of 
the  boa  in  that  direction  ;  no  signs  of  visits  from  mischievous 
apes  ;  the  little  farm  and  its  inhabitants  looked  most  flourish- 
ing. 

rJext  day  was  passed  in  making  a  survey  of  the  immediate 
neighborhood,  at  the  same  time  collecting  a  quantity  of  cot- 
ton, which  was  wanted  for  new  pillows  and  cushions.  In  the 
aftemoon  Franz  was  my  companion,  carrying  a  small  gun  en- 
trusted to  him  for  the  first  time. 

We  took  Fan  and  Bruno  with  us.  and  went  slowly  along 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOlf.  195 

the  left  bank  of  the  lake,  winding  our  way  among  reedy  thick- 
ets, which  frequently  turned  us  aside  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  water.  The  dogs  hunted  about  in  all  directions,  and 
raised  duck,  snipe,  and  heron.  These  usually  flew  directly  across 
the  lake  so  that  Franz  got  no  chance  of  a  shot.  He  began 
to  get  rather  impatient,  and  proposed  firing  at  the  black  swaaa 
we  saw  sailing  gracefully  on  the  glassy  surface  of  the  lake. 

Just  then  a  harsh  booming  sound  struck  our  ears.  I  paused 
in  wonder  as  to  whence  the  noise  proceeded,  while  Franz  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh,  father,  can  that  be  Swift,  our  young  onager  ?  " 

"  It  cannot  possibly  be  Swift,"  said  I ;  adding,  after  listen- 
ing attentively  a  minute  or  two,  "  I  am  inclined  to  think  it 
must  be  the  cry  of  a  bittern,  a  fine  handsome  bird  of  the 
nature  of  a  heron." 

"  Oh  !  may  I  shoot  it,  father  ?  But  I  wonder  how  a  bird 
can  make  that  roaring  noise !  One  would  think  it  was  an  ox, 
it  is  more  like  lowing  than  braying." 

"  The  noise  creatures  make  depends  more  on  the  construc- 
tion of  the  windpipe,  its  relation  to  the  lungs  and  the  strength 
of  the  muscles  which  force  out  the  breath,  than  on  their  size. 
As,  for  example,  how  loud  is  the  song  of  the  nightingale  and 
the  little  canary  bird.  Some  people  say  that  the  bittern  booms 
with  his  long  bill  partly  thrust  into  the  boggy  ground,  which 
increases  the  hollow  muffled  sound  of  its  very  peculiar  cry." 

Franz  was  very  anxious  that  the  first  trophy  of  his  gun 
should  be  so  rare  a  bird  as  the  bittern  ;  the  dogs  were  sent 
into  the  wood,  and  we  waited  some  distance  apart,  in  readiness 
to  fire. 

All  at  once  there  was  a  great  rustling  in  the  thicket,  Franz 
fired,  and  I  heard  his  happy  voice  calling  out : 

" I've  hit  him  !     I've  hit'him  !  " 

"  What  have  you  hit  ?  "  shouted  I  in  return. 

"  A  wild  pig,"  said  he  ;  "  but  bigger  than  Fritz's." 

**  Aha  !  I  see  you  remember  the  agouti !  Perhaps  it  is  not 
a  hog  at  all  but  one  of  our  little  pigs  froiii  the  farm.  Whav 
will  the  old  sow  say  to  you,  Franz?" 

I  soon  joined  my  boy,  and  found  him  in  transports  of  joy 
over  an  animal  certainly  very  much  like  a  pig,  although  its 
snout  was  broad  and  blunt.  It  was  covered  with  bristles,  had 
no  tail,  and  in  color  was  a  yellowish  gray. 

Examining  it  carefully,  and  noticing  its  webb  feet  and  its 
carious  teeth,  I  decided  that  it  must  be  a  capybara,  a  water- 
loving  animal  of  South  America,  and  Franz  was  overjoyed  t» 
find  that  he  had  shot  "  ft  oew  creature,"  as  he  said.  It  was  <Iif« 


196  THE   SWISS   PAMILT  ROBINSON1. 

ficult  to  carry  it  home,  but  he  very  sensibly  proposed  that  W9 
should  open  and  clean  the  carcase,  which  would  make  it  lighter 
— and  then  putting  it  in  a  game  bag,  he  carried  it  till  quite 
tired  out  ;  he  then  asked  if  I  thought  Bruno  would  let  him 
Btrap  it  on  his  back.  We  found  the  dog  willing  to  bear  the 
burden,  and  reached  Woodlands  soon  afterward. 

There  we  were  surprised  to  see  Ernest  surrounded  by  a  num- 
ber of  large  rats  which  lay  dead  on  the  ground. 

"Where  can  all  these  have  come  from?"  exclaimed  L 
"  Have  you  and  your  mother  been  rat-hunting  instead  of  gath- 
ering rice  as  you  intended  ?" 

"  We  came  upon  these  creatures  quite  unexpectedly,"  he  re« 
plied,  "  while  in  the  rice  swamp.  Knips,  who  was  with  us, 
sprang  away  to  a  kind  of  long-shaped  mound  among  the  reeds, 
and  pounced  upon  something,  which  tried  to  escape  into  a 
hole.  He  chattered  and  gnashed  his  teeth,  and  the  creature 
hissed  and  squeaked,  and  running  up  I  found  he  had  got  a  big 
rat  by  the  tail;  he  would  not  let  go,  and  the  rat  could  not 
turn  in  the  narrow  entrance  to  bite  him,  but  I  soon  pulled  it  oat 
and  killed  it  with  my  stick. 

"  The  mound  was  a  curious  looking  erection,  so  I  broke  it 
open  with  some  difficulty,  and  in  doing  this  dislodged  quite  a 
dozen  of  the  creatures.  Some  I  killed,  but  many  plunged  into 
the  water  and  escaped. 

"  On  examining  their  dwelling  I  found  it  a  vaulted  tunnel 
made  of  clay  and  mud,  and  thickly  lined  with  sedges,  rushes, 
and  water-lily  leaves. 

"  There  were  other  mounds  or  lodges  close  by,  and  seek- 
ing an  entrance  to  one  I  stretched  my  game  bag  across  it,  and 
then  hammered  on  the  roof  till  a  whole  lot  of  rats  sprang  out, 
several  right  into  the  bag.  I  hit  away  right  and  left,  but  be- 
gan to  repent  of  my  audacity  when  I  found  the  whole  com- 
munity swarming  about  in  the  wildest  excitement,  some 
escaping,  but  many  stopping  in  bewilderment,  while  others 
actually  attacked  me. 

"  It  was  anything  but  pleasant,  I  assure  you,  and  I  began  toi| 
think  of  Bisnop  Hatto  in  the  Mouse  Tower  on  the  Rhine. 
Knips  liked  it  as  little  as  I  did,  and  skipped  about  desperately 
to  get  out  of  their  way,  though  he  now  and  then  seized  a  rat 
by  the  neck  in  his  teeth. 

"Just  as  I  began  to  shout  for  help,  Juno  came  dashing 
through  the  reeds  and  water,  and  made  quick  work  with  the 
enemy,  all  flying  from  her  attack. 

"  My  mother  had  grea*  difficulty  in  forcing  her  way  through 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY   ROBLNSOtf.  If? 

the  marsh  to  the  scene  of  action,  hut  reached  me  at  last ;  and 
we  collected  all  the  slain  to  show  you,  and  for  the  sake  of 
their  skins." 

This  account  excited  my  curiosity,  and  I  went  to  examine 
the  place  Ernest  described  :  where  I  found,  to  my  surprise,  an 
arrangement  much  like  a  heaver  dam,  though  on  a  small  scal«, 
and  less  complete. 

"  You  have  discovered  a  colony  of  beaver  rats,"  said  I  to 
Ernest,  "  so  called  from  their  resemblance  in  skill  and  manner 
of  life  to  that  wonderful  creature. 

"  Muskrat,  musquash,  and  ondatra  are  other  names  given  to 
them.  They  have,  you  see,  webbed  feet  and  flattened  tails, 
and  we  shall  find  that  they  carry  two  small  glands  containing 
the  scented  substance  called  musk.  The  sooner  we  strip  off 
the  skins  the  better  ;  they  will  be  useful  for  making  caps." 

We  went  back  to  the  house,  and  met  Fritz  and  Jack  just 
returned  from  their  excursion,  reporting  that  no  trace  of  ser- 
pents, great  or  small,  had  been  met  with. 

Jack  carried  in  his  hat  about  a  dozen  eggs  ;  and  Fritz  had 
shot  a  couple  of  heath  fowls,  a  cock  and  hen. 

We  sat  down  to  supper,  Franz  eager  to  partake  of  his  capy- 
bara.  Even  he  himself  made  a  face  at  the  peculiar  flavor  of 
the  meat. 

"  It  is  the  musk  which  you  taste,"  said  I ;  and  I  described 
to  them  the  various  animals  in  which  this  strange  liquid  is 
found  ;  the  musk  deer,  musk  ox,  crocodile,  muskrat  of  India 
(also  called  soudeli,  which  taints  a  corked  bottle  of  wine,  if  it 
only  runs  across  it),  concluding  with  an  account  of  the  civet, 
called  also  civet-cat. 

"  The  civet,"  said  I,  "is  a  handsome  black  and  white  animal, 
and  the  perfume  obtained  from  it  was  formerly  considered  a 
valuable  medicine  ;  in  the  present  day  it  is  used  chiefly  as  a 
scent.  This  odoriferous  substance  is  secreted,  *.  e.,  formed,  in 
a  double  glandular  pouch  near  the  tail,  and  the  Dutch  keep 
the  creature  in  captivity,  so  that  it  shall  afford  them  a  contin- 
ual supply. 

"  The  method  of  removing  the  civet  perfume  is  ingenious. 
The  animal  is  very  quick  and  elastic  in  its  movements,  and 
having  sharp  teeth  it  is  not  pleasant  to  handle.  So  it  is  put 
into  a  long,  narrow  cage  in  which  it  cannot  turn  round,  a  horn 
spoon  is  then  introduced,  and  the  perfume,  a  thick,  oily  stuff 
something  like  butter,  is  coolly  scraped  from  the  pouch,  the 
plundered  civet  being  then  released  from  strait  durance,  until 
(he  supply  is  re-formed." 


THB    SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSOW. 

Presently  Jack  ran  for  his  game  bag,  producing  some  fndt 
which  he  had  forgotten.  Several  pale  green  apples,  quite  new 
to  us,  excited  general  attention. 

"  Why,  what  are  those  ?    Are  they  good  ?  "    I  asked. 

"  I  hope  so,  for  we  sadly  want  something  to  take  away  the 
taste  of  Franz's  beast,"  said  Jack :  "  but  Fritz  and  I  were 
afraid  of  eating  some  awful  poison  or  other,  like  the  manchi- 
neel,  so  we  brought  them  for  the  inspection  of  the  learned 
master  Knips." 

I  took  one  and  cut  it  in  two,  remarking  that  it  contained  a 
a  circle  of  seeds  or  pips,  instead  of  the  stone  of  the  manchi« 
neel.  At  that  moment  Knips  slyly  came  behind  me,  and 
snatching  up  one  half,  began  to  munch  it  with  the  liveliest 
satisfaction,  an  example  which  the  boys  were  so  eager  to  fol- 
low that  a  general  scramble  ensued,  and  I  had  some  trouble 
in  securing  a  couple  of  the  apples  for  myself  and  their 
mother. 

I  imagined  this  to  be  the  cinnamon  apple  of  the  Antilles. 

Everyone  seeming  wearied  by  the  fatigues  of  the  day,  our 
mattresses  and  pillows  were  arranged,  and  the  inmates  of 
Woodlands  betook  themselves  to  repose. 

With  early  light  we  commenced  the  next  day's  journey,  di- 
recting our  course  to  a  point  between  the  sugar-brake  and  the 
Gap,  where  we  had  once  made  a  sort  of  arbor  of  the  branches 
of  trees  ;  as  this  remained  in  pretty  good  condition,  we  spread 
a  sailcloth  over  the  top  of  it,  instead  of  pitching  the  tent, 
and  made  it  very  comfortable  quarters  for  the  short  time  I 
proposed  to  stay  there. 

Our  object  being  to  search  the  neighborhood  for  traces  of 
the  boa  constrictor,  or  any  of  his  kindred,  Fritz,  Jack,  and 
Franz  went  with  me  to  the  sugar-cane  brake,  and  satisfied 
ourselves  that  our  enemy  had  not  been  there.  It  was  long 
since  we  had  enjoyed  the  fresh  juice  of  these  canes,  and  we 
were  refreshing  ourselves  therewith,  when  a  loud  barking  of 
dogs,  and  loud  rustling  and  rattling  through  the  thicket  of 
canes,  disturbed  our  pleasant  occupation,  and,  as  we  could  see 
nothing  a  yard  off  where  we  stood,  I  hurried  to  the  open 
ground,  and  with  guns  in  ^eadiness  we  awaited  what  was 
coming. 

In  a  few  minutes  a  herd  of  creatures  like  little  pigs  issued 
from  the  thicket,  and  made  off  in  single  file  at  a  brisk  trot ; 
they  were  of  a  uniform  gray  color,  and  showed  short  sharp 
tusks. 

My  trusty  double-barrel  speedily  laid  low   two  of    tb* 


THB   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  199 

fugitives ;  the  others  continued  to  follow  the  leader  in  line, 
scarcely  turning  aside  to  pass  the  dead  bodies  of  their  com- 
rades, and  maintaining  the  same  steady  pace,  although  Fritz 
and  Jack  also  fired  and  killed  several. 

I  felt  certain  that  these  were  peccaries,  and  recollected  that 
an  odoriferous  gland  in  the  back  must  be  removed  imme- 
diately, otherwise  the  meat  will  become  tainted,  and  quite 
unfit  to  eat.  This  operation,  with  the  help  of  my  boys,  I 
accordingly  performed  at  once. 

Presently,  hearing  shots  in  the  direction  of  the  hut  where 
we  had  left  Ernest  and  his  mother,  I  sent  Jack  to  their 
assistance,  desiring  him  to  fetch  the  cart,  that  the  booty  might 
be  conveyed  to  our  encampment,  employing  the  time  of  his 
absence  in  opening  and  cleaning  the  animals,  thus  reducing 
their  weight. 

Ernest  came  back  with  Jack  and  the  cart,  and  told  us  that 
the  procession  of  peccaries  had  passed  near  the  hut,  and  that 
be,  with  Juno's  help,  had  secured  three  of  them. 

I  was  glad  to  hear  this,  as  I  had  determined  to  cure  a  good 
supply  of  hams,  and  we  made  haste  to  load  the  cart ;  the 
boys  adorned  it  with  flowers  and  green  boughs,  and  with 
eongs  of  triumph  which  made  the  woods  ring  they  conveyed 
the  valuable  supply  of  game  to  the  hut,  where  their  mother 
anxiously  waited  for  us. 

After  dinner  we  set  to  work  upon  our  pigs,  singeing  and 
scalding  off  the  bristles  ;  I  cut  out  the  hams,  divided  the 
flitches,  bestowed  considerable  portions  of  the  carcass  on  the 
dogs,  and  diligently  cleansed  and  salted  the  meat,  while  the 
boys  prepared  a  shed,  where  it  was  to  be  hung  to  be  cured  in 
the  smoke  of  fires  of  green  wood. 

This  unexpected  business  of  course  detained  us  in  the  place 
for  some  time.  On  the  second  day,  when  the  smoking  shed 
was  ready,  the  boys  were  anxious  to  cook  the  smallest  porker 
in  the  Otaheitian  fashion.  For  this  purpose  they  dug  a  hole, 
in  which  they  burned  a  quantity  of  dry  grass,  sticks,  and 
weeds,  heating  stones,  which  were  placed  round  the  sides 
of  the  pit. 

While  the  younger  boys  made  ready  the  oven,  Fritz  singed 
and  washed  his  peccary,  stuffing  it  with  potatoes,  onions,  and 
herbs,  and  a  good  sprinkling  of  salt  and  pepper. 

He  then  sewed  up  the  opening,  and  enveloped  the  pig  in 
large  leaves  to  guard  it  from  the  ashes  and  dust  of  its  cooking- 
place. 

The  fire  no  longer  blazed,  but  the  embers  and  stones  were 


900  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON; 

glowing  hot ;  the  pig  was  carefully  placed  in  the  hole,  covered 
over  with  hot  ashes,  and  the  hole  with  earth,  so  that  it  looked 
like  a  big  mole  heap. 

Dinner  was  looked  forward  to  with  curiosity,  as  well  as 
appetite  ;  my  wife,  as  usual,  distrusting  our  experiments,  was 
not  sanguine  of  success,  and  made  ready  some  plain  food  as  a 
pis  oiler. 

She  was  well  pleased  with  the  curing-hut,  which  was  roomy 
enough  to  hang  all  our  hams  and  bacon.  On  a  wide  hearth 
in  the  middle  we  kindled  a  large  fire,  which  was  kept  con- 
stantly smoldering  by  heaping  it  with  damp  grass  and  green 
wood.  The  jhut  being  closed  in  above,  the  smoke  filled  it, 
and  penetrated  the  meat  thoroughly  ;  this  process  it  had  to 
undergo  for  several  days. 

In  a  few  hours  Fritz  gave  notice  that  he  was  going  to  open 
his  oven. 

Great  excitement  prevailed  as  he  removed  the  earth,  turf, 
and  stones,  and  a  delicious  appetizing  odor  arose  from  the 
opening.  It  was  the  smell  of  roast  pork,  certainly,  but  with 
a  flavor  of  spices  which  surprised  me,  until  I  thought  of  the 
leaves  in  which  the  food  had  been  wrapped  up. 

The  peccary  was  carefully  raised,  and  when  a  few  cinders 
were  picked  off,  it  looked  a  remarkably  well-cooked  dish.  Fritz 
was  highly  complimented  on  his  success,  even  by  his  mother. 

The  scented  leaves  were,  I  thought,  those  of  a  tree  which 
I  knew  to  be  found  in  Madagascar,  called  by  the  natives 
ravensara,  or  "  good  leaf."  It  is  said  to  combine  the  scent 
of  the  nutmeg,  clove,  and  cinnamon.  The  fruit  is  a  species  of 
nut,  possessing  the  scent  of  the  leaves  in  a  more  delicate  de- 
gree, and  from  it  an  oil  or  essence  is  distilled,  which  is  highly 
valued  in  native  cookery. 

During  the  process  of  curing  our  large  supply  of  hams  and 
bacon,  which  occupied  several  days,  we  roamed  about  the 
neighborhood  in  all  directions,  finding  no  trace  of  the  serpent, 
but  making  many  valuable  acquisitions,  among  which  were 
gome  gigantic  bamboos,  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  in  length  and 
of  proportionate  thickness.  These,  when  cut  across  near  the 
•'oints,  formed  capital  casks,  tubs,  and  pots  ;  while  the  long 
sharp  thorns,  which  begirt  the  stem  at  intervals,  were  as  strong 
and  useful  as  iron  nails. 

One  day  we  made  an  excursion  to  the  farm  at  Prospect  Hill, 
and  were  grievously  provoked  to  find  that  the  vagabond  apes 
had  been  there,  and  wrought  terrible  mischief,  as  before  at 
Woodlands. 


THB   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON.  901 

The  animals  and  poultry  were  scattered,  and  everything  in 
the  cottage  so  torn  and  dirtied,  that  it  was  vain  to  think  of 
setting  things  right  that  day.  We  therefore  very  unwillingly 
left  the  disorder  as  we  found  it,  purposing  to  devote  time  to 
the  work  afterward. 

When  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  prosecution  of  our  journey, 
we  closed  and  barricaded  the  hut,  in  which,  for  the  present,  we 
left  the  store  of  bacon  ;  and  arranging  our  march  in  the  usual 
patriarchal  style,  we  took  our  way  to  the  Gap,  the  thorough 
defense  of  which  defile  was  the  main  object  we  had  in  view. 

Our  last  halting-place  being  much  enclosed  by  shrubs,  bam- 
boos, and  brushwood,  we  had  during  our  stay  opened  a  path 
through  the  cane  thicket  in  the  direction  we  were  about  to 
travel  ;  this  we  now  found  of  the  greatest  assistance,  and  the 
loaded  cart  passed  on  without  impediment. 

The  ground  was  open  and  tolerably  level  beyond,  so  that  in 
a  few  hours  we  arrived  at  the  extreme  limit  of  our  coast 
territory. 

We  halted  on  the  outskirts  of  a  little  wood,  behind  which,  to 
the  right,  rose  the  precipitous  and  frowning  cliffs  of  the  moun- 
tain gorge,  while  to  the  left  flowed  the  torrent,  leaving  be. 
tween  it  and  the  rocks  the  narrow  pass  we  called  the  Gap,  and 
passing  onward  to  mingle  its  water  with  the  sea. 

The  wood  afforded  us  pleasant  shelter,  and  standing  high, 
and  within  gunshot  of  the  mouth  of  the  rocky  pass,  I  resolved 
to  make  it  our  camping  place.  We  therefore  unpacked  the 
cart,  and  made  our  usual  arrangements  for  safety  and  comfort, 
not  forgetting  to  examine  the  wood  itself,  so  as  to  ascertain 
whether  it  harbored  any  dangerous  animals. 

Nothing  worse  than  wild  cats  was  discovered.  We  dis* 
turbed  several  of  these  creatures  in  their  pursuit  of  birds  and 
small  game,  but  they  fled  at  our  approach. 

By  the  time  dinner  was  ready  we  felt  much  fatigued,  and 
some  hours  of  unusually  sultry  and  oppressive  heat  compelled 
as  to  rest  until  toward  evening,  when  returning  coolness 
revived  our  strength.  We  pitched  the  tent,  and  then  occupied 
ourselves  with  preparations  for  the  next  day,  when  it  was  my 
intention  to  penetrate  the  country  beyond  the  defile,  and  make 
a  longer  excursion  across  the  Savannah  than  had  yet  been 
undertaken. 

All  was  ready  for  a  start  at  an  early  hour  ;  my  brave  wife 
consented  to  remain  in  camp  with  Franz  as  her  companion, 
while  the  three  elder  boys,  and  all  the  dogs,  except 
Went  with  me. 


102  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBIKSOBT. 

We  expected  to  find  it  somewhat  difficult  to  make  our  way 
through  the  narrowest  part  of  the  pass,  which  had  been  so 
strongly  barricaded  and  planted  with  thorny  shrubs,  but  found 
on  the  contrary  that  the  fences  and  walls  were  bi-oken  down 
and  disarranged.  It  was  thus  very  evident  that  the  great 
snake,  as  well  as  the  herd  of  peccaries,  had  made  an  entrance  here. 

This  barricade  was  the  first  check  that  had  been  placed  by 
hand  of  man  upon  the  wild  free  will  of  nature  in  this  lonely 
place. 

With  one  consent  storms,  floods,  torrents,  and  the  wild  beast* 
cf  the  forest,  had  set  themselves  to  destroy  it. 

We  resolved  to  make  the  defenses  doubly  strong,  being 
convinced  that  the  position  was  capable  of  being  barricaded 
and  fortified  so  as  to  resist  the  invaders  we  dreaded. 

The  prospect  which  opened  before  us  on  emerging  from  the 
rocky  pass  was  wide  and  varied.  Swelling  hills  and  verdant 
wooded  vales  were  seen  on  one  hand,  while  a  great  plain 
stretched  before  ns,  extending  from  the  banks  of  the  river  to- 
ward a  chain  of  lofty  mountains,  whose  summits  were  rend- 
ered indistinct  in  the  haze  of  the  distance. 

We  crossed  the  stream,  which  we  named  East  River,  filling 
our  flasks  with  water,  and  it  was  well  we  did  so,  for  in  continu- 
ing our  journey,  we  found  the  soil  become  more  arid  and 
parched  than  we  had  expected  ;  in  fact  we  soon  appeared  sur- 
rounded by  a  desert. 

The  boys  were  astonished  at  the  altered  appearance  of  the 
country,  part  of  which  had  been  explored  when  we  met  with  the 
buffaloes.  I  reminded  them  of  the  difference  of  the  season  ; 
that  the  expedition  had  been  made  directly  after  the  rains, 
when  vegetation  had  clothed  with  transient  beauty  this  region, 
which,  possessing  no  source  of  moisture  itself,  had  become 
scathed  and  bare  during  the  blazing  heat  of  summer. 

Our  march  proceeded  slowly,  and  many  were  the  uncom- 
plimentary remarks  made  on  the  "  new  country." 

It  was  "  Arabia  Petrea,"  groaned  one.  "  Desert  of  Sa- 
hara," sighed  another.  "  Fit  abode  for  demons,"  muttered  a^ 
third.  "  Subterranean  volcanic  fires  are  raging  beneath  ouri 
feet." 

"  Patience,  my  good  fellows ! "  cried  I ;  "  you  are  too 
easily  discouraged.  Look  beyond  the  toilsome  way  to  those 
grand  mountains,  whose  spurs  are  already  stretching  forward 
to  meet  us.  Who  knows  what  pleasant  surprises  await  ua 
amid  their  steep  declivities  ?  I,  for  my  part,  expect  to  find 
Water,  fresh  grass,  trees,  and  a  lovely  resting-place." 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINT3ON'.  208 

We  were  all  glad  to  repose  beneath  the  shade  of  the  first 
over-hanging  rock  we  came  to,  although,  by  pressing  further 
upward,  we  might  have  attained  to  a  pleasanter  spot. 

Looking  back  toward  the  Gap,  we  marked  the  strange  con- 
trast of  the  smiling  country  bordering  the  river,  and  the 
dreary,  monotonous  plain  we  had  traversed. 

After  gazing  on  the  distant  scene,  we  produced  our  store  of 
provisions,  and  were  busily  engaged,  when  Knips  (our  con- 
stant  companion)  suddenly  began  to  snuff  and  smell  about  ic 
a  very  ridiculous  way  ;  finally,  with  a  shriek  which  we  knew 
was  expressive  of  pleasure,  he  set  of  at  full  speed,  followed 
by  all  the  dogs,  up  a  sort  of  glen  behind  us. 

We  left  them  to  their  own  devices,  being  far  too  pleasantly 
engaged  with  our  refreshments  to  care  much  what  fancy  the 
little  rogue  had  got  in  his  head. 

When  hunger  was  somewhat  appeased,  Fritz  once  more 
cast  his  eyes  over  the  expanse  of  plain  before  us,  and  after 
looking  fixedly  for  a  moment,  exclaimed  : 

"  Is  it  possible  that  I  see  a  party  of  horsemen  riding  at  full 
gallop  toward  us  !  Can  they  be  wild  Arabs  of  the  desert  ?  " 

"  Arabs,  my  boy  !  certainly  not ;  but  take  the  spyglass 
and  make  them  out  exactly.  We  shall  have  to  be  on  our 
guard,  whatever  they  are  ! " 

"  I  cannot  see  distinctly  enough  to  be  sure,"  said  he  pres- 
ently, "  and  imagination  supplies  the  deficiency  of  sight  in 
most  strange  fashion.  I  could  fancy  them  wild  cattle,  loaded 
carts,  wandering  haycocks,  in  fact  almost  anything  I  like." 

The  spyglass  passed,  from  hand  to  hand  ;  Jack  and  Ernest 
agreed  in  thinking  the  moving  objects  were  men  on  horse- 
back ;  but  when  it  came  to  my  turn  to  look,  I  at  once  pro- 
nounced them  to  be  very  large  ostriches. 

"  This  is  fortunate,  indeed ! "  I  exclaimed  ;  "  we  must  try 
to  secure  one  of  these  magnificent  birds  ;  the  feathers  alone 
are  worth  having." 

"  A  live  ostrich,  father  !  that  would  be  splendid.  Why, 
we  might  ride  upon  him  !  " 

As  the  ostriches  approached,  we  began  to  consider  in  what 
way  we  should  attempt  a  capture.  I  sent  Fritz  and  Jack  to 
recall  the  dogs,  and  placed  myself  with  Ernest  behind  some 
shrubs  which  would  conceal  us  from  the  birds  as  they  came 
onward. 

The  boys  did  not  rejoin  us  for  some  little  time ;  tney 
found  Knips  and  the  dogs  at  a  pool  of  water  formed  by  a 
small  mountain  stream,  which  the  monkey's  instinct  had  de- 


§04  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

tected  ;  his  sudden  departure  was  thus  accounted  for,  and 
they  availed  themselves  right  gladly  of  his  discovery,  filling 
their  flasks,  and  hastily  bathing  before  their  return. 

The  ostriches  continued  to  come  in  our  direction,  varying 
their  pace  as  though  in  sport,  springing,  trotting,  galloping, 
and  chasing  each  other  round  and  round,  so  that  their  ap- 
proach was  by  no  means  rapid. 

I  could  now  perceive  that  of  the  five  birds  one  only  was  a 
male,  the  white  plumes  of  the  wings  and  tail  contrasting 
finely  with  the  deep  glossy  black  of  the  neck  and  body. 

The  color  of  the  females  being  ashen  brown,  the  effect^of 
their  white  plumes  was  not  so  handsome. 

"  I  do  not  believe  we  shall  have  a  chance  with  these  birds," 
said  I,  "  except  by  sending  Fritz's  eagle  in  pursuit ;  and  for 
that  we  must  bicfe  our  time,  and  let  them  come  as  near  as 
possible." 

"  In  what  way,  then,  are  ostriches  caught  by  the  natives  of 
the  African  deserts  ?  "  inquired  Fritz. 

"  Sometimes  by  chase  on  horseback  ;  but  their  speed  is  so 
veiy  great,  that  even  that  must  be  conducted  by  stratagem. 

"  When  these  birds  are  pursued,  they  will  run  for  hours  in 
a  wide  circle  ;  the  hunter  gallops  after  them,  but  describes  a 
much  smaller  circle,  and  can  therefore  maintain  the  pace  for 
a  longer  time,  waiting  to  make  the  attack  until  tke  bird  is 
fatigued. 

"  Among  the  Bushmen,  the  hunter  sometimes  envelopes 
himself  in  the  skin  of  an  ostrich,  his  legs  doing  duty  for  those 
of  the  bird,  and  his  arm  managing  the  head  and  neck  so  as  to 
imitate  the  movements  of  the  bird  when  feeding.  The  enter- 
prising hunter  is  thus  enabled  to  get  among  a  flock  of 
ostriches,  and  to  shoot  them  with  arrows  one  after  another. 

"  When  aware  of  an  enemy  they  defend  themselves  desper- 
ately, using  their  powerful  legs  as  weapons,  always  kicking 
forward,  and  inflicting  dreadful  injuries  on  dogs,  and  even  on 
men,  if  attacked  without  due  precaution.  But  let  us  take  up 
our  positions,  and  keep  perfectly  still,  for  the  ostriches  are  at 
hand  !  " 

We  held  the  dogs  concealed  as  much  as  possible  ;  the  stately 
birds  suddenly  perceiving  us,  paused,  hesitated,  and  appeared 
nneasy.  Yet  as  no  movement  was  made,  they  drew  a  few 
steps  nearer,  with  outstretched  necks,  examining  curiously  the 
unwonted  spectacle  before  them. 

The  dogs  became  impatient,  struggled  from  our  grasp,  and 
furiously  rushed  toward  our  astonished  visitors.  In  an  instant 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   EOBINSOIf.  205 

they  turned  and  fled  with  the  speed  of  the  wind  ;  their  feet 
seemed  not  to  touch  the  ground,  their  wings  aiding  the  marvel- 
ously  rapid  progress. 

In  a  few  moments  »hey  would  have  been  beyond  our  reach, 
but  as  they  turned  to  fly  the  eagle  was  unhooded.  Singling 
out  the  male  bird  the  falcon  made  his  fatal  swoop,  and  pierc- 
ing the  skull,  the  magnificent  creature  was  laid  low.  Before 
we  could  reach  the  spot  the  dogs  had  joined  the  bird  of  prey, 
and  were  fiercely  tearing  the  flesh  and  bedabbling  the  splendid 
plumes  with  gore. 

This  sight  grieved  us. 

"  What  a  pity  we  could  not  capture  this  glorious  bird 
alive  ! "  exclaimed  Fritz,  as  we  took  its  beautiful  feathers  ; 
"  it  must,  I  am  sure,  have  stood  more  than  six  feet  high,  and 
two  of  us  might  have  mounted  him  at  once  ! " 

"  In  the  vast  sandy  deserts  where  nothing  grows,  what  can 
flocks  of  these  birds  find  to  live  upon  ?  "  inquired  Ernest. 

"  That  would  indeed  be  hard  to  say,  if  the  deserts  were 
utterly  barren  and  unfruitful,"  returned  I ;  "  but  over  these 
sandy  wastes  a  beneficent  Providence  scatters  plants  of  wild 
melons,  which  absorb  and  retain  every  drop  of  moisture,  and 
which  quench  the  thirst  as  well  as  satisfy  the  hunger  of  the 
ostriches  and  other  inhabitants  of  the  wilds.  These  melons, 
however,  do  not  constitute  his  entire  diet  ;  he  feeds  freely  on 
grasses,  dates,  and  hard  grain,  when  he  can  obtain  them." 

"  Does  the  ostrich  utter  any  cry  ?  " 

"  The  voice  of  the  ostrich  is  a  deep,  hollow,  rumbling  sound, 
so  much  resembling  the  roar  of  the  lion  as  to  be  occasionally 
mistaken  for  it.  But  what  does  Jack  mean  by  waving  his  cap 
and  beckoning  in  that  excited  fashion  ?  What  has  the  boy 
found,  I  wonder  1 " 

He  ran  a  little  way  toward  us,  shouting  : 

"  Eggs,  father  1  Ostriches'  eggs !  a  huge  nest  full — do  come 
quick  ! " 

We  all  hastened  to  the  spot,  and  in  a  slight  hollow  of  the 
ground  beheld  more  than  twenty  eggs,  as  large  as  an  infant's 
head. 

The  idea  of  carrying  more  than  two  away  with  us  was  pre- 
posterous, although  the  boys,  forgetting  what  the  weight 
would  be,  seriously  contemplated  clearing  the  nest. 

They  were  satisfied  when  a  kind  of  landmark  had  been  set 
mp,  so  that  if  we  returned  we  might  easily  find  the  nest. 

As  each  egg  weighed  about  three  pounds,  the  boys  soon 
found  the  burden  considerable,  even  when  tied  into  a  handker- 


206  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

chief  and  carried  like  a  basket.  To  relieve'them,  I  cut  a 
strong  elastic  heath  stick,  and  suspending  an^egg  in  its  sling 
at  each  end,  laid  the  bent  stick  over  Jack  s  shoulder,  and  like 
a  Dutch  dairy-maid  with  her  milk  pails,  he  stepped  merrily 
along  without  inconvenience. 

We  presently  reached  a  marshy  place,  surrounding  a  little 
pool  evidently  fed  by  the  stream  which  Knips  had  discovered. 
The  soft  ground  was  trodden  and  marked  by  the  footsteps  of 
many  different  sorts  of  animals  ;  we  saw  tracks  of  buffaloes, 
antelopes,  onagas  or  quaggas,  but  no  trace  whatever  of  any 
kind  of  serpent ;  hitherto  our  journey  in  search  of  monstel 
reptiles  had  been  signalized  by  very  satisfactory  failure. 

By  this  brook  we  sat  down  to  rest  and  take  some  food  ; 
Fangs  presently  disappeared,  and  Jack  calling  jto  his  pet  dis- 
covered him  gnawing  at  something  which  he  had  dug  from 
the  marsh.  Taking  it  for  a  root  of  some  sort,  Jack  brought  it 
for  my  inspection.  I  dipped  it  in  water  to  clear  off  the  mud, 
and  to  my  surprise  found  a  queer  little  living  creature,  no  big- 
ger than  half  an  apple,  in  my  hand.  It  was  a  small  tortoise. 

"  A  tortoise,  I  declare  !  "  cried  Fritz.  "  What  a  long  way 
from  the  sea.  How  came  it  here,  I  wonder  ?  " 

"Perhaps  there  has  been  a  tortoise-shower,"  remarked 
Ernest.  "  One  reads  of  frog-showers  in  the  time  of  the  ancient; 
Romans." 

"  Hullo,  Professor  !  you're  out  for  once,"  said  I.  "  This  ii 
nothing  but  a  mud-tortoise,  which  lives  in  wet,  marshy  ground 
and  fresh  water.  They  are  useful  in  gardens  ;  for  although 
they  like  a  few  lettuce  leaves  now  and  then,  they  will  destroy 
numbers  of  snails,  grubs,  and  worms." 

Resuming  our  journey,  we  arrived  at  a  charming  valley, 
verdant,  fruitful,  and  shaded  by  clumps  of  graceful  trees.  It 
afforded  us  the  greatest  delight  and  refreshment  to  pass 
along  this  cool  and  lovely  vale,  which  we  agreed  to  call  Glen 
Verdant. 

In  the  distance  we  could  see  herds  of  antelopes  or  buffaloes 
feeding ;  but  as  our  dogs  continually  ranged  a  long  way 
ahead  of  us,  they  were  quickly  startled,  and  vanished  up 
one  or  other  of  the  narrow  gorges  which  opened  out  of  the 
valley. 

Following  the  imperceptible  windings  of  the  vale,  we  wer» 
surprised,  on  quitting  it  for  the  more  open  ground,  to  find  our- 
selves in  a  country  we  were  already  acquainted  with,  and  not 
far  from  the  Jackal  Cave,  as  we  called  +-he  place  where  Fangs 
had  been  captured  in  cubhood.-- 


THE  "SWISS  PAillLT  BOBrNBOli;  2Q| 

On  recognizing  the  spot,  Ernest,  who  was  in  advance  with 
One  of  the  dogs,  hastened  toward  it.  We  lost  sight  of  him 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  arose  a  cry  of  terror,  violent  bark- 
ing,  and  deep,  surly  growls. 

As  we  rushed  forward,  Ernest  met  us,  looking  white  as 
ashes,  and  calling  out : 

"  A  bear,  a  beaf,  father  !    He  is  coming  after  me  ! " 

The  boy  clung  to  me  in  mortal  fear.  I  felt  his  whole  frame 
quivering. 

"  Courage,  my  son  !  "  cried  I,  disengaging  myself  from  hie 
grasp  ;  "  we  must  prepare  for  instant  defense  !  " 

The  dogs  dashed  forward  to  join  the  fray,  whatever  it  was  ; 
and  not  long  were  we  in  doubt.  To  my  no  small  consterna- 
tion, an  enormous  bear  made  his  appearance,  quickly  followed 
by  another. 

With  leveled  guns,  my  brave  Fritz  and  I  advanced  slowly 
to  meet  them.  Jack  was  also  ready  to  fire,  but  the  shock  had 
BO  unnerved  Ernest  that  he  fairly  took  to  his  heels.  We  fired 
together,  one  at  each  bear  ;  but  though  hit,  the  monsters  were 
unfortunately  only  wounded.  We  found  it  most  difficult  to 
take  aim,  as  the  dogs  beset  them  on  all  sides.  However,  they 
were  much  disabled,  one  having  the  lower  jaw  broken,  and  the 
other,  with  a  bullet  in  his  shoulder,  was  effectually  lamed. 
The  dogs,  perceiving  their  advantage,  pressed  more  closely 
round  their  foes,  who  yet  defended  themselves  furiously, 
with  frightful  yells  of  pain  and  rage.  Such  was  the  confusion 
and  perpetual  movement  of  the  struggle,  that  I  dared  not  fire 
again,  seeing  that  even  slightly  wounding  one  of  our  gallant 
hounds  would  instantly  place  him  in  the  power  of  the  raging 
bears. 

Watching  our  opportunity,  we  suddenly  advanced  with 
loaded  pistols  to  within  a  very  few  paces  of  the  animals,  and 
firing,  both  fell  dead,  one  shot  through  the  head,  the  other,  in 
the  act  of  rearing  to  spring  on  Fritz,  received  his  charge  in 
its  heart. 

"  Thank  Heaven  !  "  cried  I,  as  with  dull  groans  the  brutcb 
sank  to  the  ground.  "  We  have  escaped  the  greatest  peril  we 
have  yet  encountered  !  " 

The  dogs  continued  to  tear  and  worry  the  fallen  foe,  afl 
though  unwilling  to  trust  the  appearance  of  death.  With 
feelings  somewhat  akin,  I  drew  my  hunting-knife,  and  madd 
assurance  doubly  sure. 

Seeing  all  safe,  Jack  raised  a  shout  of  victory,  that  poot? 
Ernest  might  gain  courage  to  approach  the  scene  of  conflict 


208  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

which  at  last  he  did,  and  joined  us  in  examining  the  danger- 
ous  animals,  as  they  lay  motionless  before  us. 

Every  point  was  full  of  interest,  their  wounds,  their  sharp 
teeth,  their  mighty  claws,  the  extraordinary  strength  of  neck 
and  shoulder,  all  were  remarked  and  commented  on,  and  ob- 
serving that  the  shaded  brown  hair  was  tipped  with  glossy 
white,  I  thought  that  these  might  be  the  silver  bears  men- 
tioned  in  Captain  Clarke's  journey  to  the  northwest  coasts  oi 
America. 

"  Well,  my  lads,"  said  I,  "  if  we  have  failed  to  catch  sight 
of  serpents,  we  have  at  least  made  good  riddance  of  some 
other  bad  rubbish  !  These  fellows  would  one  day  have 
worked  us  woe,  or  I  am  much  mistaken.  What's  to  be  done 
next  ?  " 

"  Why,  skin  them,  to  be  sure,"  said  Fritz.  "  We  shall  have 
a  couple  of  splendid  bearskin  rugs." 

As  this  process  would  take  time  and  evening  drew  on,  we 
dragged  the  huge  carcasses  into  their  den,  to  await  our  return, 
concealing  them  with  boughs  of  trees  and  fencing  the  entrance 
as  well  as  we  could.  The  ostrich  eggs  we  also  left  behind 
us,  hidden  in  a  sandy  hole. 

By  sunset  we  reached  the  tent,  and  joyfully  rejoined  the 
mother  and  Franz,  right  glad  to  find  a  nearty  meal  prepared 
for  us,  as  well  as  a  large  heap  of  brushwood  for  the  watch-fire. 

When  a  full  account  of  our  adventures  had  been  given,  with 
a  minute  and  special  description  of  the  bear  fight,  the  mother 
related  what  she  had  done  during  our  absence.  She  and 
Franz  had  made  their  way  through  the  wood  up  to  the  rocks 
behind  it,  and  discovered  a  bed  of  pure  white  clay,  which  it 
seemed  to  her  might  be  used  for  making  porcelain.  Then  she 
had  contrived  a  drinking  trough  for  the  cattle  out  of  a  split 
bamboo. 

She  had  arranged  a  hearth  in  a  sheltered  place  by  building 
up  large  stones,  cemented  with  the  white  clay ;  and,  finally, 
she  had  cut  a  quantity  of  canes  and  brought  them,  on  the 
cart,  to  be  in  readiness  for  the  building  we  had  in  hand. 

I  praised  the  thoughtful  diligence  which  had  effected  so 
much  that  was  of  real  and  definite  use.  In  order  to  try  the 
clay,  I  put  some  balls  of  it  in  the  fire  now  kindled,  to  burn 
during  the  night,  and  we  then  betook  ourselves  to  rest  under 
shelter  of  our  tent. 

I  awoke  at  dawn  and  aroused  my  little  party.  My  first  idea 
was  to  examine  the  clay  balls,  which  I  found  baked  hard  and 
finely  glazed,  but  too  much  melted  down  by  the  heat — a  fault 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   EOBIN8O3T.  209 

which,  seeing  the  excellent  quality  of  the  clay,  I  knew  it 
would  be  well  worth  while  to  remedy. 

After  breakfast,  and  our  accustomed  devotions,  we  harnessed 
the  cart,  and  took  the  way  to  the  bears*  den.  Fritz  headed 
the  party,  and,  coming  in  sight  of  the  entrance  to  the  cave, 
called  out  softly : 

"  Make  haste  and  you  will  see  a  whole  crowd  of  wild  tur- 
keys, who  seem  to  have  come  to  attend  the  funeral  obsequies 
of  their  respected  friend  and  neighbor,  Bruin,  here.  But  there 
appears  to  be  a  jealous  watcher  who  is  unwilling  to  admit  the 
visitors  to  the  bed  of  state  ! " 

The  Watcher,  as  Fritz  called  him,  was  an  immensely  large 
bird,  with  a  sort  of  comb  on  his  head,  and  a  loose,  fleshy  skin 
hanging  from  beneath  the  beak.  Part  of  the  neck  was  bare, 
wrinkled,  and  purplish-red,  while  around  it,  resting  on  the 
shoulders,  was  a  downy  collar  of  soft,  white  feathers.  The 
plumage  was  grayish-brown,  marked  here  and  there  with  white 
patches ;  the  feet  appeared  to  be  armed  with  strong  claws. 
This  great  bird  guarded  the  entrance  to  the  cave,  occasionally 
retiring  into  it  himself  for  a  few  minutes  ;  but  as  soon  as  the 
other  birds  came  pressing  in  after  him,  he  hurried  out  again, 
and  they  were  forced  to  retire. 

We  stopped  to  observe  this  curious  scene,  and  were  startled 
suddenly  by  a  mighty  rush  of  wings  in  the  air  above  us.  We 
looked  up ;  at  the  same  moment  Fritz  fired,  and  an  enormous 
bird  fell  heavily  head  foremost  on  the  rocks,  by  which  its 
neck  was  broken,  while  blood  flowed  from  a  wound  in  the 
breast. 

We  had  been  holding  back  the  dogs,  but  they,  with  Fritz, 
now  rushed  toward  the  cave,  the  birds  rising  around  them  and 
departing  with  heavy,  ungainly  flight,  leaving  only  Fritz's 
prize,  and  one  of  the  other  birds  killed  by  the  large  one  in  its  fall. 

With  the  utmost  caution  I  entered  the  cave,  and  rejoiced 
to  find  that  the  tongue  and  eyes  only  of  the  bears  had  been  de* 
voured  ;  a  little  later  and  we  should  have  had  the  handsome 
skins  pecked  and  torn  to  rags,  and  all  chance  of  steaks  antf 
bears'  paws  gone. 

On  measuring  the  wings  of  the  large  bird  from  tip  to  tip,  I 
found  the  length  exceeded  eleven  feet,  and  concluded  it  to  be 
a  condor ;  it  was  evidently  the  mate  of  the  (( Watcher,"  as 
Fritz  called  the  first  we  saw. 

To  work  we  now  went  on  the  bears,  and  no  slight  affair  we 
found  it  to  skin  and  cut  them  up,  but  by  dint  of  perseverance, 
we  at  last  succeeded  in  our  object. 


BIO  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

Determining  to  smoke  the  meat  ou  the  spot,  we  out  magnifl* 
cent  hams,  and  took  off  the  rest  of  the  meat  in  slices  after  the 
manner  of  the  buccaneers  in  the  West  Indies,  preserving  th« 
paws  entire  to  be  cooked  as  a  delicacy,  and  obtaining  from  the 
two  bears  together  a  prodigious  supply  of  lard,  which  my 
wife  gladly  undertook  to  melt  and  prepare  for  keeping. 

The  bones  and  offal  we  drew  to  some  distance  with  the  help 
of  our  cattle,  and  made  the  birds  of  the  air  most  welcome  to 
feast  upon  it.  This,  with  the  assistance  of  all  sorts  of  insects, 
they  did  so  effectually  that  before  we  left  the  place  the  skulls 
were  picked  perfectly  clean,  the  sun  had  dried  them,  and  they 
were  ready  for  us  to  carry  off  to  our  museum. 

The  skins  had  to  be  very  carefully  scraped,  washed,  salted, 
eleansed  with  ashes,  and  dried ;  which  occupied  fully  twQ 
days. 

I  was  lamenting  our  distance  from  the  rascusara  tree,  the 
leaves  of  which  had  flavored  our  roast  peccary  so  nicely,  when 
I  observed  among  the  brushwood  which  the  boys  had  brought 
fromthe  thickets  around  us,  a  climbing  plant,  whose  leaves  had 
a  very  strong  smell ;  the  stem  resembled  a  vine,  and  the  fruit 
grew  in  clusters  like  currants.  Some  were  red,  and  some  of  a 
green  color,  which  I  supposed  to  denote  various  degrees  of 
ripeness.  They  were  hard,  and  the  outer  skin  was  quite 
thin. 

I  recognized  in  this  the  pepper  plant,  a  discovery  particu- 
larly agreeable  at  this  moment. 

The  boys  soon  gathered  a  large  supply ;  the  red  berries 
were  soaked  in  salt  and  water  for  several  days,  then  washed 
and  rubbed,  and  finally,  becoming  perfectly  white,  were  dried 
in  the  sun.  The  treatment  of  the  green  berries  was  simple  ; 
they  were  merely  exposed  to  the  sun's  heat  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  then  stored  :  in  this  way  we  obtained  enough,  both  of 
black  and  white  pepper,  to  last  us  a  very  long  time. 

I  took  also  a  number  of  young  plants,  that  we  might  have 
pepper  growing  at  Rockburg  an  d  our  various  settlements.  Some 
roots  of  another  plant  were  also  taken,  which,  from  the  podfe, 
appeared  to  be  a  kind  of  bean. 

We  were  glad  of  this  occupation  during  the  tedious  busi- 
ness of  smoking  the  bears'  meat,  and  availed  ourselves  of  the 
leisure  time  by  also  preparing  for  stuffing  the  condor  and  the 
turkey  buzzard,  urubu  or  black  vulture — for  I  could  not  deter- 
mine to  which  species  the  smaller  bird  belonged. 

The  four  boys  at  length  became  so  weary  of  inaction,  that  I 
determined  to  let  them  make  an  excursion  alone  on  the 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  811 

Savannaa.  Three  of  them  received  this  permission  with  eager 
delight,  but  Ernest  said  he  would  prefer  to  remain  with  us ; 
to  which,  as  the  expedition  was  to  be  entirely  one  of  pleasure, 
I  could  make  no  objection. 

Little  Franz,  on  the  other  hand,  whom  I  would  willingly 
have  kept  with  us,  was  wild  to  go  with  his  brothers,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  consent,  as  I  had  made  the  proposal  open  to  alL, 
and  could  not  draw  back. 

In  the  highest  spirits  they  ran  to  bring  their  steeds  (as  we 
were  fain  tir  call  the  cattle  they  rode)  from  their  pasturage  at 
a  short  distance.  Speedily  were  they  saddled,  bridled,  and 
mounted — the  three  lads  were  ready  to  be  off. 

It  was  my  wish  that  our  sons  should  cultivate  a  habit  of 
bold  independence,  for  well  I  knew  that  it  might  be  the  will 
of  God  to  deprive  them  easily  of  their  parents  ;  when,  without 
an  enterprising  spirit  of  self  reliance,  their  position  would  be 
truly  miserable. 

My  gallant  Fritz  possessed  this  desirable  quality  in  no  small 
degree,  and  to  him  I  committed  the  care  of  his  young  brothers, 
charging  them  to  look  up  to  and  obey  him  as  their  leader. 

They  were  well  armed,  well  mounted,  had  a  couple  of  good 
dogs ;  and,  with  a  hearty  "  God  speed  and  bless  you,  my 
boys  ! "  I  let  them  depart. 

We,  who  remained  behind,  passed  the  day  in  a  variety  of 
nseful  occupations. 

The  bears'  meat,  which  was  being  cured  in  a  smoking  shed 
such  as  that  we  set  up  for  the  peccary  hams,  required  a  good 
deal  of  attention  from  my  wife.  Ernest  had  a  fancy  for 
making  ornamental  cups  from  the  ostrich  eggs,  while  I  inves- 
tigated the  interior  of  the  cave. 

I  found  the  inner  wall  to  consist  of  a  kind  of  talc,  mingled 
with  threads  of  asbestos,  and  also  indications  of  mica.  Ex- 
amining further,  I  detached  a  large  block,  and  found  to  my 
joy  that  I  could  split  it  into  clear  transparent  sheets,  which 
would  serve  admirably  for  window  panes. 

My  wife  saw  this  substitute  for  glass  with  unfeigned  satis- 
faction, declaring,  that  although  she  would  not  complain,  yet 
the  want  of  glass  for  -cindows  had  been  a  downright  trouble 
to  Lor. 


912  THE   SWISS   FAMILY 


CHAPTER  XIH. 

The  boys  return  and  give  an  account  of  their  adventures — How  they  cap« 
tured  the  antelopes — How  Fritz  caught  the  rabbits  and  Jack  rode  down 
the  gazelles — How  they  followed  the  honey  bird  and  Jack  tried  to  rob 
the  bees'  byke — We  sup  on  the  bears'  paws — Across  the  desert  again — 
Sight  three  ostriches — The  male  bird  captured — We  secure  him  bd- 
tween  Storm  and  Grumble — The  mother's  astonishment  at  our  new 
pet — Return  to  Woodlands — Home  again — We  establish  colonies  on 
Shark  and  Whale  Islands — Turn  our  attention  to  agriculture — Th» 
difficulties  of  ostrich  training — My  patent  saddle  and  bridle — I  exer- 
cise my  ingenuity  in  various  trades. 

As  evening  approached,  the  bears'  paws,  which  were  stew- 
ing for  supper,  sent  forth  savory  odors  ;  and  we  sat  talking 
round  the  fire,  while  listening  anxiously  for  sounds  heralding 
the  return  of  our  young  explorers. 

At  last  the  tramp  and  beat  of  hoofs  struck  our  ears  ;  the 
little  troop  appeared,  crossing  the  open  ground  before  us  at  a 
sharp  trot,  and  a  shrill  ringing  cheer  greeted  us  as  we  rose  and 
went  to  meet  them. 

They  sprang  from  their  saddles,  the  animals  were  set  at 
liberty  to  refresh  themselves,  and  the  riders  eagerly  came  to 
exhibit  their  acquisitions  and  give  an  account  of  themselves. 

Funny  figures  they  cut !  Franz  and  Jack  had  each  a 
young  kid  slung  on  his  back,  so  that  the  four  legs,  tied  to- 
gether, stuck  out  under  their  chins. 

Fritz's  game  bag  looked  remarkably  queer — round  lumps, 
sharp  points,  and  an  occasional  movement  seemed  to  indicate 
a  living  creature  or  creatures  within. 

"  Hurrah  !  for  the  chase,  father  !  "  cried  Jack.  "  Nothing 
like  real  hunting  after  all.  And  just  to  see  how  Storm  and 
Grumble  go  along  over  a  grassy  plain  !  It  is  perfectly  splen- 
did !  We  soon  tired  out  the  little  antelopes,  and  were  able 
to  catch  them." 

"  Yes,  father,"  said  Franz ;  "  and  Fritz  has  two  Angora 
rabbits  in  his  bag,  and  we  wanted  to  bring  you  some  honey. 
Only  think  !  such  a  clever  bird — a  cuckoo,  showed  us  where 
it  was  ! " 

•'  My  brothers  forget  the  chief  thing,"  said  Fritz.  "  We 
have  driven  a  little  herd  of  antelopes  right  through  the  Gap 
into  our  territory  ;  and  there  they  are,  all  ready  for  us  to  hunt 
when  we  like — or  to  catch  and  tame  ! " 

"  Well  done  1  "  cried  I ;  "  here  is  indeed  a  list  of  achieve- 
ments. But  to  your  mother  and  m&-  *-he  chief  thing  of  all,  is 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSOW.  213 

God's  goodness  in  bringing  you  safe  back  to  us.  Now,  let  ufl 
bear  the  whole  story,  that  we  may  have  a  definite  idea  of  your 
performances." 

"  We  had  a  splendid  ride,"  said  Fritz, "  down  Glen  Verdant, 
and  away  to  the  defile  through  our  Rocky  Barrier,  and  the 
morning  was  so  cool  and  fresh  that  our  steeds  galloped  along, 
nearly  the  whole  way,  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  When  we 
had  passed  through  the  Gap  we  moderated  our  furious  pace 
and  kept  our  eyes  open  on  the  lookout  for  game  ;  we  then 
trotted  slowly  to  the  top  of  a  grassy  hill,  from  whose  summit 
we  saw  two  herds  of  animals,  whether  antelopes,  goats,  or 
gazelles,  we  did  not  know,  grazing  by  the  side  of  the  stream 
below  us.  We  were  about  to  gallop  down  and  try  to  get  a 
shot  at  them,  when  it  struck  me  that  it  would  be  wiser  to  try 
and  drive  the  whole  herd  through  the  Gap  into  our  own 
domain,  where  they  would  be  shut  up,  as  it  were,  in  a  park, 
free  and  yet  within  reach.  Down  the  hill  we  rode  as  hard  as 
we  could  go,  formed  in  a  semi-circle  behind  the  larger 
herd — magnificent  antelopes — and,  aided  by  the  dogs,  with 
shouts  and  cries  drove  them  along  the  stream  toward  the 
Gap  ;  as  we  came  near  the  opening  they  appeared  inclined  to 
halt  and  turn,  like  sheep  about  to  be  driven  into  the  butcher's 
yard  ;  and  it  was  all  we  could  do  to  prevent  them  from  bolt- 
ing past  us  ;  but,  at  length,  one  made  a  rush  at  the  opening 
and,  the  rest  following,  they  were  soon  all  on  the  other  side 
of  the  frontier,  and  inhabitants  of  New  Switzerland." 

"  Capital,"  I  said, "  capital,  my  boy  !  But  I  don't  see  what 
is  to  make  them  remain  inhabitants  of  our  domain,  or  to  pre- 
vent them  from  returning  through  the  Gap  whenever  they 
feel  inclined." 

"  Stop,  father,"  he  replied,  "  you  interrupt  me  too  soon  • 
we  thought  of  that  possibility  too,  and  provided  against  it. 
We  stretched  a  long  line  right  across  the  defile  and  strung 
on  it  feathers  and  rags  and  all  sorts  of  other  things,  which 
danced  and  fluttered  in  the  wind,  and  looked  so  strange  that 
I  am  perfectly  certain  that  the  herd  will  never  attempt  to 
pass  it ;  in  fact,  Levaillant,  from  whom  I  learned  the  trick, 
says,  in  his  *  Voyage  au  Cap  de  Bonne  Esperance,'  that  the 
Hottentots  make  use  of  the  method  for  penning  in  the  antel- 
opes they  have  caught  in  the  chase." 

"  WeU  done,"  said  I,  "  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  remember 
•what  you  have  read.  The  antelopes  are  welcome  to  New 
Switzerland,  but,  my  boy,"  I  added,  "  I  cannot  say  the  same 
for  the  rabbits  you  have  there  ;  they  increase  so  rapidly  that 


214  rUE    SWISS   FAMILY   KODINSOK. 

if  you  establish  a  colony  of  the  little  wretches  your  next 
culty  will  be  to  get  rid  of  them." 

"  True,"  he  replied,  "  but  my  idea  was  to  place  them  upon 
"Whale  Island,  where  they  would  find  abundant  food,  and  at 
the  same  time  in  no  way  trouble  us.  May  I  not  establish  a 
•warren  there  ?  It  would  be  so  useful.  Do  you  know,  my 
eagle  caught  these  pretty  little  fellows  for  me?  I  saw  a 
number  of  them  running  about  and  so  unhooded  him,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  he  brought  me  three — one  dead,  with  whose 
body  I  rewarded  him,  and  these  two  here,  unhurt." 

"Now,  father,"  said  Jack,  interrupting  him,  "  do  listen  to 
me  and  hear  my  story,  or  else  Fritz  will  begin  upon  my 
adventures  and  tire  you  out  with  his  rigmarole  descriptions." 

"  Certainly,  Jack,"  I  said,  "  I  am  quite  ready  to  listen  to 
you.  First  and  foremostly,  how  did  you  bring  down  those 
beautiful  little  animals  you  have  there  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  galloped  them  down.  The  dogs  sniffed  about  in 
the  grass  while  Fritz  was  away  after  the  rabbits,  out  popped 
those  little  fawns,  and  away  they  went  bounding  and  skipping, 
at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  with  Storm,  Grumble,  and 
the  dogs  at  their  heels.  In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  we  had 
left  the  dogs  behind  and  were  close  upon  our  prey.  Down, 
wep*  the  little  creatures  in  the  grass,  and,  overcome  \ritb 
terroi  and  fatigue,  were  at  our  mercy.  So  we  shouted  tc 
Fritz,  and " 

"  My  dear  boy,"  said  I,  "  according  to  your  statement, 
Fritz  must  have  been  seven  miles  and  a  half  off." 

"  Oh,  well,  father,  perhaps  we  did  not  ride  for  quite  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  and,  of  course,  I"  can't  say  exactly  how 
fast  we  were  going  ;  and  then,  you  see,  the  fawns  did  not 
run  in  a  straight  line  ;  at  any  rate  Fritz  heard  us,  and  h« 
and  Franz  and  I  leashed  the  legs  of  the  pretty  creatures, 
and  then  we  mounted  again,  and  presently  saw  a  wretch  of 
a  cuckoo,  who  led  us  ever  so  far  out  of  our  course  by  cuck- 
ooing and  making  faces  at  us,  and  then  hopping  away. 
Franz  declared  it  must  be  an  enchanted  princess,  and  so  I 
thought  I  would  rid  it  of  its  spell ;  but  Fritz  stopped  me 
shooting  it,  and  said  it  was  a  '  Honey  Indicator,'  and  that 
it  was  leading  us  probably  to  a  bees'  byke,  so  we  spared  its 
life,  and  presently,  sure  enough,  it  stopped  close  by  a  bees' 
nest  in  a  hollow  tree.  This  was  capital,  we  thought,  and,  as  we 
were  in  a  great  hurry  to  taste  the  honey,  I  threw  in  a  lot  of 
lighted  lucifer  matches,  but  somehow  it  did  not  kill  the  bees 
at  all,  but  only  made  them  awfully  angry,  and  they  flew  out 


TH8   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  21$ 

in  a  body  and  stung  me  all  over.  I  rushed  to  Storm  and 
sprang  on  his  back,  but,  though  I  galloped  away  for  bare  life, 
it  was  an  age  before  I  got  rid  of  the  little  wretches,  and  now 
my  face  is  in  a  perfect  fever.  I  think  I  will  get  mother  to 
bathe  it  for  me  ; "  and  off  rushed  the  noisy  boy,  leaving  Fritz 
and  me  to  see  to  the  fawns  and  examine  the  rabbits.  With 
these  latter  I  determined  to  do  as  Fritz  proposed,  namely,  to 
colonize  Whale  Island  with  them.  I  was  all  the  more  willing 
to  do  this  because  I  had  been  considering  the  advisability  of 
establishing  on  that  island  a  fortress  to  which  we  might  re« 
treat  in  any  extreme  danger,  and  where  we  should  be  very 
thankful,  in  case  of  such  a  retreat,  to  possess  means  of  obtain- 
ing a  constant  supply  of  animal  food. 

Having  ministered  to  the  wants  of  the  antelopes,  I  tried  to 
interest  the  boys  in  my  discovery  of  the  block  of  talc,  but  just 
then  their  mother  summoned  us  to  dinner. 

The  principal  dish  in  this  meal  consisted  of  the  bears'  paws 
— most  savory  smelling  delicacies,  so  tempting  that  their  close 
resemblance  to  human  hands,  and  even  the  roguish  "  Fee-fo- 
f um  "  from  Jack,  did  not  prevent  a  single  member  of  the 
family  from  enjoying  them  most  heartily. 

Supper  over,  we  lit  our  watch-fire,  retired  to  our  tent,  and 
slept  soundly. 

We  had  been  working  very  diligently ;  the  bears'  meat  was 
smoked,  the  fat  melted  down  and  stored,  and  a  large  supply 
of  bamboos  collected.  But  I  wished  to  make  yet  another  ex- 
cursion, and  at  early  dawn  I  aroused  the  boys. 

Fritz  mounted  the  mule,  I  rode  Lightfoot,  Jack  and  Franz 
took  their  usual  steeds,  and,  with  the  two  dogs,  we  galloped 
off — first  to  visit  the  euphorbia  to  collect  the  gum,  and  then 
to  discover  whether  the  ostrich  had  deserted  her  eggs  in  the 
sand. 

Ernest  watched  us  depart  without  the  slightest  look  or  sigh. 
of  regret,  and  returned  to  the  tent  to  assist  his  mother  and 
study  his  books. 

Our  steeds  carried  us  down  the  Green  Valley  at  a  rapid 
rate,  and  we  followed  the  direction  we  had  pursued  on  our 
former  expedition.  We  soon  reached  Turtle  Marsh,  and  then, 
filling  our  water-flasks,  we  arrived  at  the  rising  ground  where 
Fritz  discovered  the  mounted  Arabs. 

As  Jack  and  Franz  wanted  a  gallop,  I  allowed  them  to  press 
forward,  while  Fritz  and  I  visited  the  euphorbia  trees.  A 
quantity  of  the  red  gum  had  exuded  from  the  incisions  I  had 
made,  aud  as  this  had  coagulated  in  the  sun,  1  rolled  it  into 


S16  THK   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

little  balls  and  stored  it  in  a  bamboo  jar  I  had  brought  with 
me  for  the  purpose. 

As  we  rode  after  the  boys,  who  were  some  way  ahead, 
Fritz  remarked  : 

"Did  you  not  tell  me  that  the  juice  of  that  tree  was 
poisonous,  father  ;  why  have  you  collected  such  a  quantity?" 

"  I  did  indeed  say  so,"  I  replied ;  "  it  is  a  most  deadly 
poison.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  use  it 
to  poison  the  springs  where  wild  animals  assemble  to  quench 
their  thirst ;  and  they  thus  slaughter  an  immense  number  of 
the  creatures  for  the  sake  of  their  hides.  I  intend,  however, 
to  use  it  to  destroy  the  apes  should  they  again  commit  depre- 
dations, and  also  in  preparing  tho  skins  of  animals  to  protect 
them  from  the  attacks  of  insects." 

The  two  boys  were  still  at  some  distance  from  us,  when 
suddenly  four  magnificent  ostriches  rose  from  the  sand  where 
they  had  been  sitting. 

Jack  and  Franz  perceived  them,  and,  with  a  great  shout, 
drove  them  toward  us.  In  front  ran  a  splendid  male  bird, 
his  feathers  of  shining  black,  and  his  great  tail  plume  waving 
behind.  Three  females  of  an  ashen  gray  color  followed  him. 
They  approached  us  with  incredible  swiftness,  and  were 
within  gunshot  before  they  perceived  us.  Fritz  had  had  the 
forethought  to  bind  up  the  beak  of  his  eagle  so  that,  should 
he  bring  down  an  ostrich,  he  might  be  unable  to  injure  it. 

He  now  threw  up  the  falcon  which,  towering  upward, 
swooped  down  upon  the  head  of  the  foremost  bird,  and  so 
confused  and  alarmed  him,  that  he  could  not  defend  himself 
nor  continue  his  flight.  So  greatly  was  his  speed  checked 
that  Jack  overtook  him,  and  hurling  his  lasso,  enfolded  his 
wings  and  legs  in  its  deadly  coils  and  brought  him  to  the 
ground.  The  other  ostriches  were  almost  out  of  sight,  so 
leaving  them  to  their  own  devices,  we  leaped  from  our  steeds 
and  attempted  to  approach  the  captured  bird.  He  struggled 
fearfully,  and  kicked  with  such  violence,  right  and  left,  that 
I  almost  despaired  of  getting  him  home  alive. 

It  occurred  to  me,  however,  that  if  we  could  cover  his  eyes, 
his  fury  might  be  subdued.  I  instantly  acted  upon  this  idea, 
and  flung  over  his  head  my  coat  and  hunting-bag,  which 
effectually  shut  out  the  light. 

No  sooner  had  I  done  this  than  his  struggles  ceased,  and  we 
were  able  to  approach.  We  first  secured  round  his  body  a 
broad  strip  of  sealskin,  on  each  side  of  which  I  fastened  a 
Btout  piece  of  cord,  that  I  might  be  able  to  lead  him  easily. 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  21? 

Then,  fastening  another  cord  in  a  loop  round  his  legs  that 
he  might  be  prevented  from  breaking  into  a  gallop,  we  re- 
leased him  from  the  coils  of  the  lasso. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  I  to  the  boys,  "  how  the  natives  of 
India  secure  a  newly  captured  elephant?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Fritz  ;  "  they  fasten  him  between  two 
tame  elephants.  We'll  do  that  to  this  fine  fellow,  and  tame 
him  double  quick." 

"  The  only  difficulty  will  be,"  remarked  Jack,  "  that  we 
have  no  tame  ostriches.  However,  I  daresay  Storm  and 
Grumble  will  have  no  objection  to  perform  their  part,  and 
it  will  puzzle  even  this  great  monster  to  run  away  with 
them." 

So  we  at  once  began  operations.  Storm  and  Grumble  were 
led.  up  on  either  side  of  the  recumbent  ostrich,  and  the  cords 
secured  to  their  girths.  Jack  and  Franz,  each  armed  with  a 
stout  whip,  mounted  their  respective  steeds,  the  wrappers 
were  removed  from  the  bird's  eyes,  and  we  stood  by  to  watch 
what  would  next  occur. 

For  some  moments  after  the  return  of  his  sight  he  lay  per- 
fectly still,  then  he  arose  with  a  bound  and,  not  aware  of  the 
cords  which  hampered  him,  attempted  to  dash  forward.  The 
thongs  were  stout,  and  he  was  brought  to  his  knees.  A  fruit- 
less struggle  ensued,  and  then  at  length,  seeming  to  accom- 
modate himself  to  circumstances,  he  set  off  at  a  sharp' trot, 
his  guards  making  the  air  re-echo  with  their  merry  shouts. 
These  cries  stimulated  the  ostrich  to  yet  further  exertions, 
but  he  was  at  length  brought  to  a  stand  by  the  determined 
refusal  of  his  four-footed  companions  to  continue  such  a  race 
across  loose  sand. 

The  boys  having  enjoyed  the  long  run,  I  told  them  to  walk 
with  the  prisoner  slowly  home,  while  Fritz  and  I  returned  to 
examine  the  ostrich's  nest.    The  eggs  were  quite  warm,  and, 
I  was  certain  that  the  mother  had  quite  recently  left  the  nest ; ' 
leaving  about  half,  I  packed  the  rest  of  the  eggs  in  a  large 
bag  I  had  brought  for  the  purpose,  and  slung  it  carefully  on 
the   saddle   before    me.     We   soon   caught  up  our  advance 
guard,  and  without  other  notable  incident  reached  our  tent. 

Astonishment  and  dismay  were  depicted  on  the  face  of  the 
mother  as  we  approached. 

"My  dear  husband,"  she  exclaimed,  "do  you  think  our 
provisions  so  abundant  that  you  must  scour  the  deserts  to 
find  some  great  beast  to  assist  us  to  devour  them.  You 
must  discover  an  iron  mine  next,  for  iron  is  what  ostriches 


118  THE    SWISS   FAMILY    BOBIN6OK. 

chiefly  live  on,  is  it  not  ?  Oh  !  I  do  wish  you  would  be  con- 
tent with  the  menagerie  you  have  already  collected,  instead 
of  bringing  in  a  specimen  of  every  beast  you  come  across. 
And  this  is  such  a  useless  monster  !  " 

"  Useless  !  mother,"  exclaimed  Jack ;  "  you  would  not  say 
so  had  you  seen  him  run  ;  why,  he  will  be  the  fleetest  courser 
in  our  stables.  I  am  going  to  make  a  saddle  and  bridle  for 
him,  and  in  future  he  shall  be  my  only  steed.  Then  as  for 
his  appetite,  father  declares  it  is  most  delicate,  he  only  wants 
a  little  fruit  and  grass,  and  a  few  stones  and  tenpenny  nails 
to  help  his  digestion." 

The  way  in  which  Jack  assumed  the  proprietorship  of  our 
new  prize  seemed  to  strike  his  brothers  as  rather  cool,  and 
there  was  instantly  a  cry  raised  on  the  subject. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Jack,  "  let  us  each  take  possession  of  the 
part  of  the  ostrich  we  captured.  Your  bird,  Fritz,  seized  the 
head,  keep  that ;  father  shall  have  the  body,  I'll  have  the 
legs,  and  Franz  a  couple  of  feathers  from  the  tail." 

"  Come,  come,"  said  I,  "  I  think  that  Jack  has  a  very  good 
right  to  the  ostrich,  seeing  that  he  brought  it  to  the  ground, 
and  if  he  succeeds  in  taming  it  and  converting  it  into  a 
saddle  horse  it  shall  be  his.  From  this  time,  therefore,  he  is 
responsible  for  its  training." 

The  day  was  now  too  far  advanced  to  allow  us  to  think  of 
setting  out  for  Rockburg,  so  we  fastened  up  the  ostrich  be- 
tween two  trees,  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  the  evening  to 
making  preparations  for  our  departure. 

At  early  dawn  our  picturesque  caravan  was  moving  home- 
ward. The  ostrich  continued  so  refractory  that  we  were 
obliged  to  make  him  again  march  between  Storm  and  Grumble, 
and  as  these  gallant  steeds  were  thus  employed,  the  cow  was 
harnessed  to  the  cart,  laden  with  our  treasures.  Room  was 
left  in  the  cart  for  the  mother,  Jack  and  Franz  mounted 
Storm  and  Grumble,  I  rode  Lightfoot,  and  Fritz  brought  up 
the  rear  on  Swift. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Gap  we  called  a  halt,  and  replaced  the 
cord  the  boys  had  strung  with  ostrich  feathers  by  a  stout 
palisade  of  bamboos.  I  also  took  the  opportunity  of  collect- 
ing a  store  of  pipeclay,  as  I  intended  during  the  winter  months, 
which  were  close  at  nand,  to  try  my  hand  at  china  making 

When  we  reached  the  sugar-cane  grove,  we  again  stopped 
to  collect  the  peccary  hams  we  had  left  to  be  smoked  ;  and 
my  wife  begged  me  to  gather  some  seeds  of  an  aromatic 
plant  which  grew  in  the  neighborhood,  and  which  had  the 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOIT.  STf 

scent  of  vanilla.  I  obtained  a  good  supply,  and  we  move<? 
forward  toward  Woodlands,  where  we  intended  to  rest  for 
the  night,  after  our  long  and  fatiguing  march. 

Our  tent  was  pitched,  and  on  our  beds  of  cotton  we  slept 
soundly. 

Next  morning  early  we  examined  our  farmyard,  which 
appeared  in  a  most  prosperous  and  flourishing  condition. 
The  sight  of  all  these  domestic  animals  made  us  long  even 
more  than  ever  for  our  home  at  Rockburg,  and  we  determined 
to  hasten  thither  with  all  possible  speed. 

The  number  of  our  pigs,  goats,  and  poultry  had  greatly 
increased  since  we  had  last  visited  our  colony  ;  and  some  of 
these,  two  fine  broods  of  chickens  especially,  my  wife  wished 
to  take  back  with  her. 

We  found  that  the  herd  of  antelopes,  which  Fritz  and  Jack 
bad  driven  through  the  Gap,  had  taken  up  their  abode  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  several  times  we  saw  the  beautiful 
animals  browsing  among  the  trees. 

While  at  the  farm,  we  repaired  both  the  animals'  stalls 
and  our  dwelling  room,  that  the  former  might  be  more  secure 
against  the  attacks  of  wild  beasts,  and  the  latter  fitted  for 
our  accommodation  when  we  should  visit  the  spot. 

Everything  at  length  being  satisfactorily  arranged,  we 
again  retired  to  rest,  and  early  next  morning  completed  our 
journey  to  Rockburg. 

By  midday  we  were  once  more  settled  at  home.  Windows 
and  doors  were  thrown  open  to  admit  fresh  air  ;  the  animals 
established  in  their  stalls  ;  and  the  cart's  miscellaneous  cargo 
discharged  and  arranged. 

As  much  time  as  I  could  spare,  I  devoted  to  the  ostrich, 
whom  we  fastened,  for  the  present,  between  two  bamboo 
posts  in  front  of  our  dwelling. 

I  then  turned  my  attention  to  the  eggs  we  had  brought, 
and  which  I  determined  to  hatch,  if  possible,  by  artificial  heat. 
For  this  purpose  I  arranged  a  stove,  which  I  maintained  at 
a  uniform  temperature,  and  on  it  I  placed  the  eggs,  carefully 
wrapped  in  cotton  wool. 

Next  morning  Fritz  and  I  went  off  in  the  boat,  first  to  Whale 
Island,  there  to  establish  our  colonists,  the  Angora  rabbits, 
and  then  to  Shark  Island,  where  we  placed  the  dainty  little 
antelopes.  Having  made  them  happy  with  their  liberty  and 
abundance  of  food,  we  returned  as  quickly  as  possible  to  cure 
the  bearskins,  and  add  the  provisions  we  had  brought  to 
the  stores  lying  in  our  cellar. 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINBOST. 

As  we  returned,  we  caught  up  Jack,  making  his  way  in 
great  glee  toward  Rockburg.  He  was  carrying,  in  a  basket, 
an  immense  eel,  which  he  and  Ernest  had  secured. 

Ernest  had  set,  on  the  previous  night,  a  couple  of  lines ; 
one  had  been  dragged  away,  but  on  the  other  they  found 
this  splendid  fellow. 

It  proved  delicious.  Half  was  prepared  for  dinner,  and  the 
other  half  salted  and  stowed  away. 

We  now,  for  a  short  time,  again  turned  our  attention  to 
our  duties  about  the  house. 

Thinking  that  the  veranda  would  be  greatly  improved  by 
some  creepers,  I  sowed,  round  the  foot  of  each  bamboo  pillar, 
vanilla  and  pepper-seed,  as  well  as  that  of  other  creeping 
plants,  which  would  not  only  give  the  house  a  pleasanter 
aspect,  but  also  afford  us  shade  during  the  summer  months. 

I  constructed  a  couple  of  hencoops  too,  for  the  hens  and 
their  little  chicks  which  we  had  brought  from  Woodlands, 
for  I  knew  that  if  I  left  them  unprotected,  the  inquisitive 
dispositions  of  Knips  and  Fangs  might  induce  them  to  make 
anatomical  experiments  which  would  be  detrimental  to  th» 
welfare  of  the  youngsters. 

Ernest's  rat  skins  were  voted  a  nuisance  within  doors,  and 
were  tied  together  and  hung  up  outside ;  so  powerful  was  the 
odor  they  emitted,  that  even  then  Jack  would  pretend  to 
faint  every  time  he  passed  near  them. 

The  museum  received  its  additions  :  the  condor  and  vulture 
were  placed  there,  to  be  stuffed  when  we  should  find  time 
during  the  rainy  season.  The  mica  and  asbestos,  too,  were 
brought  in  for  the  present,  not  to  lie  there  idle,  but  to  wait 
until  I  could  use  them  as  I  intended,  for  china  and  lamp* 
wicks. 

Having  occupied  two  days  in  this  way,  we  turned  our  atten- 
tion to  other  duties :  the  cultivation  of  a  wheat,  barley,  and 
maize  field,  the  management  of  the  ostrich's  eggs,  and  thf 
taming  of  the  captives. 

As  agriculture  was,  though  the  least  to  our  taste,  the  mos* 
important  of  these  several  duties,  we  set  about  it  first.  The 
animals  drew  the  plow,  but  the  digging  and  hoeing  taxed 
ourpowers  of  endurance  to  the  utmost. 

We  worked  two  hours  in  the  morning  and  two  in  the  even- 
ing. Fully  did  we  realize  the  words  of  Scripture  :  "  In  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread." 

In  the  interval  we  devoted  our  attention  to  the  ostrich. 
But  our  efforts  on  behalf  nf  his  education  seemed  all  in  vain, 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  EOBINSOIf.  981 

fie  appeared  as  untameable  as  ever.  I  determined,  there- 
fore, to  adopt  the  plan  which  had  subdued  the  refractory- 
eagle. 

The  effect  of  the  tobacco  fumes  almost  alarmed  me.  The 
ostrich  sank  to  the  ground  and  lay  motionless.  Slowly,  at 
length,  he  arose,  and  paced  up  and  down  between  the  bamboo 
poets. 

He  was  subdued,  but  to  my  dismay  resolutely  refused  all 
food.  I  feared  he  would  die  ;  for  three  days  he  pined,  grow- 
ing weaker  and  weaker  each  day. 

"Food  he  must  have  !  "  said  I  to  my  wife  ;  "  food  he  must 
have  !  "  The  mother  determined  to  attempt  an  experiment. 
She  prepared  balls  of  maize  flour,  mixed  with  butter.  One  of 
these  she  placed  within  the  bird's  beak.  He  swallowed  it,  and 
stretched  out  his  long  neck,  looking  inquiringly  for  a  second 
mouthful.  A  second,  third,  and  fourth  ball  followed  the  first. 
His  appetite  returned,  and  his  strength  came  again. 

All  the  wild  nature  of  the  bird  had  gone,  and  I  saw  with 
delight  that  we  might  begin  his  education  as  soon  as  we  chose. 
Rice,  guavas,  maize,  and  corn  he  ate  readily — washing  it 
down,  as  Jack  expressed  it,  with  small  pebbles,  to  the  great 
surprise  of  Franz,  to  whom  I  explained  that  the  ostrich  was 
merely  following  the  instinct  common  to  all  birds ;  that  he 
required  these  pebbles  to  digest  his  food,  just  as  smaller  birds 
require  gravel. 

After  a  month  of  careful  training,  our  captive  would  trot, 
gallop,  obey  the  sound  of  our  voice,  feed  from  our  hand  ;  and, 
in  fact,  showed  himself  perfectly  docile.  Now  our  ingenuity 
was  taxed  to  the  utmost.  How  were  we  to  saddle  and  bridle 
a  bird  ?  First,  for  a  bit  for  his  beak.  Vague  ideas  passed 
through  my  mind,  but  every  one  I  was  obliged  to  reject.  A 
plan  at  length  occurred  to  me.  I  recollected  the  effect'of  light 
and  its  absence  upon  the  ostrich,  how  his  movements  were 
checked  by  sudden  darkness,  and  how,  with  the  light,  power 
returned  to  his  limbs. 

I  immediately  constructed  a  leathern  hood,  to  reach  from 
the  neck  to  the  beak,  cutting  holes  in  it  for  the  eyes  and  ears. 

Over  the  eyeholes  I  contrived  square  flaps  or  blinkers, 
which  were  so  arranged  with  whalebone  springs  that  they 
closed  tightly  of  themselves.  The  reins  were  connected  with 
these  blinkers,  so  that  the  flaps  might  be  raised  or  allowed  to 
close  at  the  rider's  pleasure. 

When  both  blinkers  were  open,  the  ostrich  would  gallop 
•traight  ahead  ;  close  his  right  eye  and  he  turned  to  the  left, 


998  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

close  his  left  and  he  turned  to  the  right,  shut  both  and  he 
stood  stock  still. 

I  was  justly  proud  of  my  contrivance,  but,  before  I  could 
really  test  its  utility,  I  was  obliged  to  make  a  saddle.  After 
several  failures,  I  succeeded  in  manufacturing  one  to  my  lik- 
rng,  and  in  properly  securing  it ;  it  was  something  like  an  old- 
fashioned  trooper's  saddle,  peaked  before  and  behind — for  my 
great  fear  was  lest  the  boys  should  fall.  This  curious-looking 
contrivance  I  placed  upon  the  shoulders  as  near  the  neck  as 
possible,  and  secured  it  with  strong  girths  round  the  wings  and 
across  the  breast,  to  avoid  all  possibility  of  the  saddle  slipping 
down  the  bird's  sloping  back. 

I  soon  saw  that  my  plan  would  succeed,  though  skill  and 
considerable  practice  was  necessary  in  the  use  of  my  patent 
bridle.  It  was  difficult  to  remember  that  to  check  the 
courser's  speed  it  was  necessary  to  slacken  rein,  and  that  the 
tighter  the  reins  were  drawn,  the  faster  he  would  fly.  "We  at 
length,  however,  all  learned  to  manage  Master  Hurricane,  and 
the  distance  between  Rockburg  and  Falconhurst  was  traversed 
in  an  almost  incredibly  short  space  of  time.  The  marvelous 
speed  of  the  bird  again  revived  the  dispute  as  to  the  owner- 
ship,  and  I  was  obliged  to  interfere. 

"  Jack  shall  retain  the  ostrich,"  said  I, "  for  it  is  most  suited 
to  him  ;  he  is  a  lighter  weight  than  either  of  you  his  elder 
brothers,  and  Franz  is  not  yet  strong  enough  to  manage  such 
a  fleet  courser.  But  he  is  so  far  to  be  considered  common 
property,  that  all  may  practice  on  him  occasionally  ;  and,  in 
a  case  of  necessity,  anyone  may  mount  him." 

Our  field  work  was  by  this  time  over.  The  land  had  been 
plowed  and  sown  with  wheat,  barley,  and  maize.  On  the 
other  side  of  Jackal  River  we  had  planted  potatoes  and  cas- 
sava roots,  and  all  sorts  of  other  seeds  had  been  carefully  sown. 

We  had  not  neglected  the  ostrich's  eggs,  and  one  day 
Fritz  introduced  me  with  great  glee  to  three  little  ostriches. 
But  alas,  the  little  creatures  were  not  destined  to  enjoy  life 
long.  One  died  almost  as  soon  as  it  was  hatched,  and  the 
others,  after  tottering  about  on  their  stilt-like  legs  for  a  few 
days,  followed  its  example. 

I  now  found  time  to  turn  my  attention  to  the  bears'  skins, 
which  required  preparation  before  they  would  be  fit  for  use  as 
leather.  They  had  been  salted  and  dried,  and  now  required 
tanning.  I  had  no  tan,  however.  This  was  unfortunate ; 
but  not  to  be  deterred  from  my  purpose,  I  determined  to  use 
-  mixture  of  honey  and  water  m  its  place. 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBnrSOtf.  223 

The  experiment  proved  successful.  When  the  skins  were 
dried  they  remained  [flexible  and  free  from  smell,  while  the 
fur  was  soft  and  glossy. 

This  was  not  the  only  result  of  the  experiment,  for  the 
honey- water  which  I  boiled  appeared  so  clear  and  tempting, 
that  it  struck  me  that  I  might  prepare  from  it  an  excellent 
drink.  I  put  by  some  of  the  liquid  before  making  use  of  it  as 
tan,  and  reboiled  it  with  nutmeg  and  cinnamon.  The  prepa- 
ration, which  much  resembled  English  mead,  was  pronounced 
delicious,  and  the  mother  begged  me  to  brew  a  large  supply. 
As  our  cellar  was  now  well  stocked  with  provisions  for  the 
winter,  and  our  other  preparations  were  completed,  I  was  able  to 
turn  my  attention  to  details  of  lesser  importance.  The  boya 
had  been  clamoring  for  hats,  and  as  my  success  in  so  many- 
trades  had  surprised  me,  I  agreed  to  turn  hatter  for  the  nonce, 
With  the  rat  skins  and  a  solution  of  india  rubber,  I  produced 
a  kind  of  felt,  which  I  dyed  a  brilliant  red  with  cochineal, 
and  stretching  this  on  a  wooden  block  I  had  prepared,  I 
passed  over  it  a  hot  iron,  to  smooth  the  nap,  and  by  next 
morning  had  the  satisfaction  of  presenting  to  my  wife  a  neat 
little  red  Swiss  cap,  to  be  lined  and  finished  by  her  for  one  of 
the  boys.  The  mother  admired  the  production  immensely, 
and  lining  it  with  silk,  added  yet  more  to  its  gay  appearance 
by  adorning  it  with  ribbons  and  ostrich  feathers,  and  finally 
placed  it  upon  the  head  of  little  Franz. 

So  delighted  was  everyone  with  the  hat,  that  all  were  eager 
to  be  similarly  provided,  and  begged  me  to  manufacture 
more.  I  readily  agreed  to  do  so,  as  soon  as  they  should  furn- 
ish me  with  the  necessary  materials,  and  advised  them  to  make 
half  a  dozen  rat  traps,  that  they  might  secure  the  water  rats 
with  which  the  stream  abounded,  and  whose  rich  glossy  fur 
Jvould  serve  admirably  for  felt. 

Every  fifth  animal  that  they  brought  me  I  told  them  should 
ie  mine,  that  I  might  obtain  material  for  a  hat  for  myself  and 
sheir  mother. 

The  boys  at  once  agreed  to  this  arrangement,  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  the  traps,  which  were  all  so  made  that 
they  should  kill  the  rats  at  once,  for  I  could  not  bear  the  idea 
of  animals  being  tortured  or  imprisoned. 

While  they  were  thus  engaged  I  applied  myself  to  the 
manufacture  of  porcelain.  I  first  cleaned  the  pipeclay  and 
talc  from  all  foreign  substances,  and  made  them  ready  to  be 
beaten  down  with  water  into  a  soft  mass,  and  then  prepared 
my  molds  of  gypsum  plaster.  These  preparations  were  at 


£24  THB   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

length  made,  and  the  molds  received  a  thin  layer  of  the  por 
celain  material.  When  this  was  partly  baked,  I  sprinkled 
over  it  a  powder  of  colored  glass  beads  which  I  had  crushed, 
and  which  looked  very  pretty  in  patterns  upon  the  transpar- 
ent porcelain. 

Some  of  my  china  vessels  cracked  with  the  heat  of  the 
stove,  some  were  very  ill-shaped  ;  but,  after  many  failures,  I 
succeeded  in  producing  a  set  of  white  cups  and  saucers,  a 
cream-jug,  a  sugar-basin,  and  half  a  dozen  small  plates. 

I  must  allow  that  my  china  was  far  from  perfect ;  the 
shape  of  some  of  the  vessels  was  faulty,  and  none  were  really 
transparent  ;  nevertheless,  the  general  appearance  gave  great 
satisfaction,  and  when  the  plates  were  filled  with  rosy  and 
golden  fruit  resting  on  green  leaves,  and  fragrant  tea*  filled 
the  cups,  it  greatly  added  to  the  appearance  of  the  table. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  rainy  season  again— The  building  of  the  cajack — The  mother  In- 
vents a  swimming  dress — A  visit  to  our  colonies — Mysterious  sea- 
weed— The  mother's  surprise — A  visit  to  Whale  Island — Mischiev- 
ous pigs— The  three  boys  return  from  a  day's  hunting — They 
display  their  treasures — A  new  skinning  apparatus — "We  make  a 
crushing  machine — An  early  harvest — We  prepare  a  threshing 
floor — Reaping  in  Italian  fashion — Threshing  also  in  Italian 
fashion — Return  of  the  herring  shoals. 

SCARCELY  had  I  completed  my  pottery,  when  great  black 
clouds  and  terrific  storms  heralded  the  approach  of  another 
winter.  The  rainy  season  having  set  in,  we  were  compelled 
to  give  up  our  daily  excursions. 

Even  in  the  spacious  house  which  we  now  occupied,  and 
with  our  varied  and  interesting  employments,  we  yet  found 
the  time  dragging  heavily.  The  spirits  of  all  were  depressed, 
and  even  occasional  rapid  rides,  during  a  partial  cessation  of 
the  rain,  failed  permanently  to  arouse  them.  Fritz,  as  well 
as  I,  had  perceived  this,  and  he  said  to  me  : 

"  Why,  father,  should  we  not  make  a  canoe,  something 
twifter  and  more  manageable  than  those  vessels  we  as  yet 
possess?  I  often  long  for  a  light  skiff,  in  which  I  might  skim 
over  the  surface  of  the  water." 

The  idea  delighted  all  hands,  but  the  mother,  who  was 
never  happy  when  we  were  on  the  sea,  declared  that  our 
chances  of  drowning  were,  with  the  pinnace  and  canoe, 
already  sufficiently  great,  and  that  there  was  not  the  slightest 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON.  225 

necessity  for  our  adding  to  these  chances  by  constructing  an- 
ether  craft  which  would  tempt  us  out  upon  the  perfidious 
element.  My  wife's  fears  were,  however,  speedily  allayed,  for 
I  assured  her  that  the  boat  I  intended  to  construct  should  be 
no  flimsy  cockle-shell,  but  as  safe  and  stout  a  craft  as  ever 
floated  upon  the  sea.  The  Greenlander's  cajack  I  intended 
to  be  my  model,  and  I  resolved  not  only  to  occupy  the  chil- 
dren, but  also  to  produce  a  strong  and  serviceable  canoe — a 
masterpiece  of  art. 

The  boys  were  interested,  and  the  boat-building  was  soon 
in  operation.  We  constructed  the  skeleton  of  whalebone, 
using  split  bamboo  canes  to  strengthen  the  sides  and  also  to 
form  the  deck,  which  extended  the  whole  length  of  the  boat, 
leaving  merely  a  square  hole  in  which  the  occupant  of  the 
canoe  might  sit. 

The  work  engrossed  our  attention  most  entirely,  and  by  the 
time  it  was  complete  the  rain  had  passed  away  and  the  glori- 
ous sun  again  shone  brightly  forth. 

Our  front  door  was  just  wide  enough  to  admit  of  the 
egress  of  our  boat,  and  we  completed  her  construction  in  the 
open  air.  We  quickly  cased  the  sides  and  deck  with  sealskin, 
making  all  the  seams  thoroughly  watertight  with  caout- 
chouc. 

The  cajack  was  indeed  a  curious  looking  craft,  yet  so  light 
that  she  might  be  lifted  easily  with  one  hand,  and  when  at 
length  we  launched  her  she  bounded  upon  the  water  like  an 
india  rubber  ball.  Fritz  was  unanimously  voted  her  right- 
ful owner,  but  before  his  mother  would  hear  of  his  entering 
the  frail-looking  skiff  she  declared  that  she  must  contrive  a 
swimming  dress,  that  "  should  his  boat  receive  a  puncture 
from  a  sharp  rock  or  the  dorsal  fin  of  a  fish  and  collapse,  he 
might  yet  have  a  chance  of  saving  his  life." 

Though  I  did  not  consider  the  cajack  quite  the  soap  bubble 
the  mother  imagined  it,  I  yet  willingly  agreed  to  assist  her 
in  the  construction  of  the  dress. 

The  garment  we  produced  was  most  curious  in  appearance, 
and  I  must  own  that  I  doubted  it  efficiency.  It  was  like  a 
double  waistcoat,  made  of  linen  prepared  with  a  solution  of 
india  rubber,  the  seams  being  likewise  coated  with  caout- 
chouc, and  the  whole  rendered  perfectly  airtight.  We  so 
arranged  it  that  one  little  hole  was  left,  by  means  of  which 
air  could  be  forced  into  the  space  between  the  outer  covering 
and  the  lining,  and  the  dress  inflated. 

Meanwhile  I  perceived  with  pleasure  the  rapid  vegetation 


99ft  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

the  climate  was  producing.  The  seeds  we  had  scattered  had 
germinated,  and  were  now  promising  magnificent  crops.  The 
veranda,  too,  was  looking  pleasant  with  its  gay  and  sweet- 
scented  creepers,  which  were  already  aspiring  to  the  summit 
of  the  pillars.  The  air  was  full  of  birds,  the  earth  seemed 
teeming  with  life. 

The  dress  was  at  length  completed,  and  Fritz  one  fine 
Afternoon  offered  publicly  to  prove  it.  We  all  assembled  on 
the  beach,  the  boy  gravely  donned  and  inflated  the  garment, 
and,  amid  roars  of  laughter  from  his  brothers,  entered  the 
water.  Quickly  and  easily  he  paddled  himself  across  the  bay 
toward  Shark  Island,  whither  we  followed  in  one  of  our 
boats. 

The  experiment  was  most  successful,  and  Ernest,  Jack,  and 
Franz,  in  spite  of  their  laughter  at  their  brother's  garment, 
be.srged  their  mother  to  make  for  each  of  them  a  similar  dress. 

While  on  the  island  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  colonists  whom 
we  had  established  there  the  previous  autumn.  All  were  well; 
we  could  perceive  by  the  footprints  that  the  antelopes  had 
discovered  and  made  use  of  the  shelter  we  had  erected  for 
them,  and  feeling  that  we  could  do  nothing  more  we  scattered 
handfuls  of  maize  and  salt,  and  strolled  across  to  the  other 
side  of  the  island.  The  shore  was  covered  with  lovely  shells, 
many  of  which,  with  beautiful  pieces  of  delicate  coral,  the 
boys  collected  for  their  museum  ;  strewn  by  the  edge  of  the 
water  too  lay  a  great  quantity  of  seaweed  of  various  colors, 
and  as  the  mother  declared  that  much  of  it  was  of  use,  the 
boys  assisted  her  to  collect  it  and  store  it  in  the  boat.  As 
we  pulled  back  to  the  land  I  was  surprised  to  see  that  my 
wife  chose  from  among  the  seaweed  a  number  of  curious 
leaves  with  edges  notched  like  a  saw.  When  we  reached 
home  she  carefully  washed  these  and  dried  them  in  the  oven. 
There  was  evidently  something  mysterious  about  this  prepara- 
tion, and  my  curiosity  at  length  prompted  me  to  make  an 
attempt  to  discover  the  secret. 

"  Are  these  leaves  to  form  a  substitute  for  tobacco  ?  "  said 
I ;  "do  you  so  long  for  its  refreshing  smell ?" 

My  wife  smiled,  for  her  dislike  to  tobacco  was  well  known, 
and  she  answered  in  the  same  jocular  tone  : 

"  Do  you  not  think  that  a  mattress  stuffed  with  these  leaves 
would  be  very  cool  in  summer  ?  " 

The  twinkle  in  her  eyes  showed  me  that  my  curiosity  must 
still  remain  unsatisfied,  but  it  nevertheless  became  greater  than 
ever 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON-.  997 

The  boys  and  I  had  one  day  made  a  long  and  fatiguing 
expedition,  and,  tired  out,  we  flung  ourselves  down  in  the 
veranda.  As  we  lay  there  resting,  we  heard  the  mother's 
voice. 

"  Could  any  of  you  enjoy  a  little  jelly  ?  " 

She  presently  appeared,  bearing  a  porcelain  dish  laden  with 
most  lovely  transparent  jelly.  Cut  with  a  spoon  and  laid  be- 
fore us  it  quivered  and  glittered  in  the  light. 

"  Ambrosia  !  "  exclaimed  Fritz,  tasting  it.  It  was  indeed 
delicious,  and,  still  marveling  from  whence  the  mother  could 
have  obtained  a  dish  so  rare,  we  disposed  of  all  that  she  had 
•et  before  us. 

"  Aha,"  laughed  the  mother,  "  is  not  this  an  excellent  sub- 
stitute for  tobacco,  far  more  refreshing  than  the  nasty  weed 
itself.  Behold  the  product  of  my  mysterious  seaweed." 

"  My  dear  wife,"  exclaimed  I,  "  this  dish  is  indeed  a  master- 
piece of  culinary  art,  but  where  had  you  met  with  it  ?  What 
put  it  into  your  head  ?  " 

"  While  staying  with  my  Dutch  friends  at  the  Cape,"  re- 
plied she,  "  I  often  saw  it,  and  at  once  recognized  the  leaves 
on  Shark  Island.  Once  knowing  the  secret,  the  preparation 
of  the  dish  is  extremely  simple  ;  the  leaves  are  soaked  in  water, 
fresh  every  dav,  for  a  week,  and  then  boiled  for  a  few  hours 
with  orange  juice,  citron,  and  sugar." 

We  were  all  delighted  with  the  delicacy,  and  thanked  the 
mother  for  it  most  heartily,  the  boys  declaring  that  they  must 
at  once  go  off  again  to  the  island  to  collect  as  many  of  the  leaves 
as  they  could  find.  I  agreed  to  accompany  them,  for  I  wished 
to  examine  the  plantations  we  had  made  there. 

All  were  flourishing,  the  palms  and  mangroves  had  shot  up  in 
a  most  marvelous  manner,  and  many  of  the  seeds  which  I  had 
cast  at  random  among  the  cliffs  in  the  rocks  had  germinated, 
(and  promised  to  clothe  the  nakedness  of  the  frowning  bowl- 
'ders. 

Away  up  among  the  rocks,  too,  we  discovered  a  bright  spark* 
ling  spring  of  delicious  water,  at  which,  from  the  footprints 
around,  we  saw  that  the  antelopes  must  havs  refreshed  them- 
selves. 

Finding  everything  so  satisfactory,  we  were  naturally  anx- 
ious to  discover  how  our  colony  and  plantations  on  Whale 
Island  had  fared.  It  was  evident  at  a  glance  that  the  rabbits 
had  increased  ;  the  young  and  tender  shoots  of  the  trees  bore 
the  marks  of  many  greedy,mischievous  little  teeth.  The  cocoa* 
nut  palms  alone  had  they  spared. 


828  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

Such  depredations  as  these  could  not  be  allowed,  and  with 
the  help  of  the  boys  I  erected  round  each  stem  a  hedge  of 
prickly  thorn,  and  then  prepared  again  to  embark  ;  before  we 
aid  so,  however,  I  noticed  that  some  of  the  seaweed  had  also 
been  gnawed  by  the  rabbits,  and  wondering  what  it  could 
have  been  to  tempt  them,  I  collected  some  of  it  to  examine 
more  fully  at  home. 

The  skeleton  of  the  whale,  too,  attracted  our  attention, 
for,  picked  clean  by  the  birds  and  bleached  by  the  sun  and 
rain,  the  bones  had  been  purified  to  a  most  perfect  whiteness. 
Thinking  that  the  joints  of  the  vertebras  might  be  made  of 
use,  I  separated  some  ten  or  twelve,  and  rolled  them  down  to 
the  boat,  and  then  returned  to  the  shore,  towing  them  after  us. 

A  scheme  now  occupied  my  mind  for  the  construction  of  a 
crushing  machine,  which  would  prove  of  the  greatest  sauriceto 
as.  I  knew  that  to  make  such  a  machine  of  stone  was  far  be- 
yond my  power,  but  it  had  struck  me  that  the  vertebrae  of  the 
whale  might  serve  my  purpose. 

I  determined  next  morning  to  look  out  a  tree  from  which 
I  might  cut  the  blocks  of  wood  that  I  should  require  to  raise 
my  crushers. 

My  expedition  was  destined  to  be  a  solitary  one,  for  when  I 
went  to  the  stables  for  a  horse,  I  discovered  that  the  boys  had 
gone  off  by  themselves  with  their  guns  and  traps,  and  had  left 
to  me  a  choice  between  the  bull  and  buffalo. 

With  Storm,  therefore,  I  was  fain  to  be  content.  I  crossed 
the  bridge,  but  as  I  reached  the  cassava  field  I  noticed  to  my 
great  annoyance  that  it  had  been  overrun  and  laid  waste  by 
some  mischievous  animals.  I  examined  the  footprints,  and 
seeing  that  they  greatly  resembled  those  of  pigs,  determined 
to  follow  the  trail,  and  see  who  these  invaders  of  our  territory 
would  prove  to  be.  The  track  led  me  on  for  some  way  until 
I  almost  lost  sight  of  it  near  our  old  potato  field.  For  some 
time  I  hunted  backward  and  forward  without  seeing  a  sign 
of  the  animals  ;  at  length  a  loud  barking  from  Floss  and 
Bruno,  who  were  with  me,  announced  that  they  had  been 
discovered. 

The  whole  family  of  our  old  sow,  and  she  herself,  were 
standing  at  bay,  showing  their  teeth  and  grunting  so  savagely, 
that  the  dogs  feared  to  approach  them. 

I  raised  my  gun  and  fired  twice  among  the  herd ;  two  of 
the  pigs  fell,  and  the  rest  fled,  followed  by  the  dogs.  I  picked 
up  the  pigs,  and  calling  back  tl  e  pursuers,  continued  my  way 
through  the  fores^> 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  229 

A  tree  suited  to  my  purpose  was  soon  found  ;  I  marked  it 
and  returned  home. 

Ernest,  who  had  remained  at  home,  assisted  me  to  flay  the 
young  porkers,  and  I  handed  them  over  to  the  mother  to  pre- 
pare for  supper ;  by  which  time  I  hoped  the  other  lads  would 
have  returned. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  heard  the  sounds  of  trampling  hoofs, 
and  presently  Jack  appeared,  thundering  along  upon  his  two- 
legged  steed,  followed  in  the  distance  by  Fritz  and  Franz. 
These  latter  carried  upon  their  cruppers  game  bags,  the  con- 
tents of  which  were  speedily  displayed ;  four  birds,  a  kan- 
garoo, twenty  muskrats,  a  monkey,  two  hares,  and  half  a 
dozen  beaver  rats,  were  laid  before  me.  Besides  these,  Fritz 
threw  down,  without  a  word  of  explanation,  a  bundle  of 
thistles. 

The  boys  seemed  almost  wild  with  excitement  at  the  success 
of  their  expedition,  and  presently  Jack  exclaimed  : 

"  Oh,  father,  you  can't  think  what  grand  fun  hunting  on  an 
ostrich  is ;  we  flew  along  like  the  wind  ;  sometimes  I  could 
scarcely  breathe,  we  were  going  at  such  a  rate,  and  was 
obliged  to  shut  my  eyes  because  of  the  terrific  rush  of  air ; 
really,  father,  you  must  make  me  a  mask  with  glass  eyes  to 
ride  with,  or  I  shall  be  blinded  one  of  these  fine  days." 

"  Indeed  !  "  replied  I,  "  I  must  do  no  such  thing." 

"  Why  not  ? "  asked  he,  with  a  look  of  amazement  upon 
his  face. 

"  For  two  reasons  ;  firstly,  because  I  do  not  consider  that  I 
must  do  anything  that  you  demand  ;  and,  secondly,  because  I 
think  that  you  are  very  capable  of  doing  it  yourself.  How- 
ever, I  must  congratulate  you  upon  your  abundant  supply  of 
game  ;  you  must  have  indeed  worked  hard.  Yet  I  wish  that 
you  would  let  me  know  when  you  intend  starting  on  such  a 
long  expedition  as  this ;  you  forget  that  though  you  your, 
selves  know  that  you  are  quite  safe,  and  that  all  is  going  on 
well,  yet  that  we  at  home  are  kept  in  a  constant  state  of 
anxiety.  Now,  off  with  you,  and  look  to  your  animals,  and 
then  you  may  find  supper  ready." 

Presently  the  boys  returned,  and  we  prepared  for  a  most 
appetizing  meal  which  the  mother  set  before  us. 

While  we  were  discussing  the  roast  pig,  and  washing  it 
tiown  with  fragrant  mead,  Fritz  described  the  day's  expedition. 

They  had  set  their  traps  near  Woodlands,  and  had  there 
captured  the  muskrats,  attracting  them  with  small  carrots, 
while  with  other  traps,  baited  with  fish  and  earthworms,  they 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBIXSOtf. 

had  caught  several  beaver  rats,  and  a  duck-billed  platypus. 
Hunting  and  fishing  had  occupied  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  it 
was  with  immense  pride  that  Jack  displayed  the  kangaroo 
which  he  had  run  down  with  his  swift  courser.  Contribu- 
tions to  the  garden  had  not  been  forgotten,  and  Fritz  handed 
over  to  his  mother  several  cuttings  from  cinnamon  and  sweet- 
apple  trees.  Finally,  when  all  the  other  treasures  had  been 
displayed,  Fritz  begged  me  to  examine  his  thistles  which  he 
had  gathered,  thinking,  he  said,  that  it  was  a  plant  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  wool.  He  was  perfectly  right,  for  I 
recognized  it  at  once  as  the  "  fuller's  teazle,"  a  plant  whose 
sharp  little  thorns,  which  cover  the  stem  and  leaves,  are  used 
to  raise  the  nap  of  cloth. 

We  resolved  to  be  up  betimes  the  following  morning,  that 
we  might  attend  to  the  preparation  of  the  booty,  and  as  I  now 
noticed  that  the  boys  were  all  becoming  extremely  drowsy,  I 
closed  the  day  with  evening  devotions. 

The  number  of  the  creatures  we  killed  rendered  the  removal 
of  their  skins  a  matter  of  no  little  time  and  trouble.  It  was 
not  an  agreeable  task  at  any  time,  and  when  I  saw  the  array 
of  animals  the  boys  had  brought  me  to  flay,  I  determined  to 
construct  a  machine  which  would  considerably  lessen  the 
labor.  Among  the  ship's  stores,  in  the  surgeon's  chest,  I 
discovered  a  large  syringe.  This,  with  a  few  alterations, 
would  serve  my  purpose  admirably.  Within  the  tube  I  first 
fitted  a  couple  of  valves,  and  then,  perforating  the  stopper,  I 
had  in  my  possession  a  powerful  air  pump. 

The  boys  stared  at  me  in  blank  amazement  when,  armed 
with  this  instrument,  I  took  up  the  kangaroo,  and  declared 
myself  ready  to  commence  operations. 

"  Skin  a  kangaroo  with  a  squirt  ?  "  said  they,  and  a  roar  of 
laughter  followed  the  remark. 

I  made  no  reply  to  the  jests  which  followed,  but  silently 
hung  the  kangaroo  by  its  hind  legs  to  the  branch  of  a  tree. 
I  then  made  a  small  incision  in  the  skin,  and  inserting  the 
mouth  of  the  syringe  forced  air  with  all  my  might  between 
the  skin  and  the  body  of  the  animal.  By  degrees  the  hide  of 
the  kangaroo  distended,  altering  the  shape  of  the  creature 
entirely. 

Still  I  worked  on,  forcing  in  yet  more  air  until  it  had  be- 
come a  mere  shapeless  mass,  and  I  soon  found  that  the  skin 
was  almost  entirely  separated  from  the  carcass.  A  bold  cut 
down  the  belly,  and  a  few  touches  here  and  there  where  tha 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON1.  281 

ligatures  still  bound  the  hide  to  the  body,  and  the  animal  was 
flayed. 

"  What  a  splendid  plan  ?  "  cried  the  boys  ;  "but  why  should 
it  do  it?" 

"  For  a  most  simple  and  natural  reason,"  I  replied  ;  "do  you 
not  know  that  the  skin  of  an  animal  is  attached  to  its  flesh 
merely  by  slender  and  delicate  fibers,  and  that  between  these 
exist  thousands  of  little  bladders  or  air  chambers  ;  by  forcing 
air  into  these  bladders  the  fibers  are  stretched,  and  at  length,) 
elastic  as  they  are,  cracked.  The  skin  has  now  nothing  to 
unite  it  to  the  body,  and,  consequently,  may  be  drawn  off 
with  perfect  ease.  This  scientific  fact  has  been  known  for 
many  years  ;  the  Greenlanders  make  constant  use  of  it ;  when 
they  have  killed  a  seal  or  walrus,  they  distend  the  skin  that 
they  may  tow  the  animal  more  easily  ashore,  and  then  remove 
its  hide  at  a  moment's  notice." 

The  remaining  animals  were  subjected  to  the  same  treat- 
ment, and,  to  my  great  joy,  in  a  couple  of  days  the  skins 
were  all  off,  and  being  prepared  for  use. 

I  now  summoned  the  boys  to  assist  me  in  procuring  blocks 
of  wood  for  my  crushing  machine,  and  the  following  day  we 
set  forth  with  saws,  ropes,  axes,  and  other  tools.  We  soon 
reached  the  tree  I  had  selected  for  my  purpose,  and  I  began 
by  sending  Fritz  and  Jack  up  into  the  tree  with  axes  to  cut 
off  the  larger  of  the  high  branches  that,  when  the  tree  fell,  it 
might  not  injure  its  neighbors.  They  then  descended,  and 
Fritz  and  I  attacked  the  stem.  As  the  easiest  and  most 
speedy  method  we  used  a  saw,  such  a  one  as  is  employed  by 
sawyers  in  a  saw-pit,  and  Fritz  taking  one  end  and  I  the  other, 
the  tree  was  soon  cut  half  through.  We  then  adjusted  ropes 
that  we  might  guide  its  fall,  and  again  began  to  cut.  It  was 
laborious  work,  but  when  I  considered  that  the  cut  was  suffi- 
ciently deep  we  took  the  ropes  and  pulled  with  our  united 
strength.  The  trunk  cracked,  swayed,  tottered,  and  fell  with 
a  crash. 

The  boughs  were  speedily  lopped  off,  and  the  trunk  sawed 
into  blocks  four  feet  long. 

To  cut  down  and  divide  this  tree  had  taken  us  a  couple 
of  days,  and  on  the  third  we  carted  home  four  large  and  two 
small  blocks,  and  with  the  vertebrae  joints  of  the  whale  I,  inji 
very  short  time,  completed  my  machine. 

While  engaged  on  this  undertaking  I  had  paid  little  atten- 
tion to  our  fields  of  grain,  and,  accordingly,  great  was  my 


332  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   KOBUfSON. 

surprise  when  one  evening  the  fowls  returned,  showing  most 
evident  indifference  to  their  evening  meal,  and  with  their  crops 
perfectly  full.  It  suddenly  struck  me  that  these  birds  had 
come  from  the  direction  of  our  cornfield.  I  hurried  off  to  see 
what  damage  they  had  done,  and  then  found  to  my  great  joy 
that  the  grain  was  perfectly  ripe. 

The  amount  of  work  before  us  startled  my  wife.  This  un- 
expected harvest,  which  added  reaping  and  threshing  to  the 
fishing,  salting,  and  pickling  already  on  hand,  quite  troubled 
her. 

"  Only  think,"  said  she,  "  of  my  beloved  potatoes  and  man- 
ioc roots  !  What  is  to  become  of  them,  I  should  like  to  know  t 
It  is  time  to  take  them  up,  and  how  to  manage  it,  with  all  this 
press  of  work,  I  can't  see." 

"  Don't  be  down-hearted,  wife,"  said  I  ;  "  there  is  no  imme- 
diate hurry  about  the  manioc,  and  digging  potatoes  in  this 
fine,  light  soil  is  easy  work  compared  to  what  it  is  in  Switzer- 
land, while  as  to  planting  more,  that  will  not  be  necessary  if 
we  leave  the  younger  plants  in  the  ground.  The  harvest  we 
must  conduct  after  the  Italian  fashion,  which,  although  any- 
thing but  economical,  will  save  time  and  trouble,  and  as  we 
are  to  have  two  crops  in  the  year,  we  need  not  be  too  partic- 
ular." 

Without  further  delay,  I  commenced  leveling  a  large  space 
of  firm,  clayey  ground  to  act  as  a  threshing  floor  :  it  was  well 
sprinkled  with  water,  rolled,  beaten,  and  stamped  ;  as  the  sun 
dried  the  moisture  it  was  watered  anew,  and  the  treatment 
continued  until  it  became  as  flat,  hard,  and  smooth  as  thresh- 
ing floor  need  be. 

Our  largest  wicker  basket  was  then  slung  between  Storm 
and  Grumble  ;  we  armed  ourselves  with  reaping  hooks,  and 
went  forth  to  gather  in  the  corn  in  the  simplest  and  most 
expeditious  manner  imaginable. 

I  told  my  reapers  not  to  concern  themselves  about  the  length 
of  the  straw,  but  to  grasp  the  corn  where  it  was  convenient  to 
them,  without  stooping  ;  each  was  to  wind  a  stalk  around  his 
own  handful,  and  throw  it  into  the  basket ;  in  this  way  great 
labor  was  saved.  The  plan  pleased  the  boys  immensely,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  basket  had  been  filled  many  times,  and  th« 
field  displayed  a  quantity  of  tall,  headless  stubble,  which  pef  • 
f  ectly  horrified  the  mother,  so  extravagant  and  untidy  did  snf 
consider  our  work. 

"  This  is  dreadful  1 "  cried  she  ;  "  you  have  left  numbers  of 
ears  growing  on  short  stalks,  and  look  at  that  splendid  stray 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBUCSOH. 

completely  wasted  !  I  don't  approve  of  your  Italian  fashion 
at  aft.'; 

"  It  is  not  a  bad  plan,  I  can  assure  you,  wife,  and  the  Ital- 
ians do  not  waste  the  straw  by  not  cutting  it  with  the  grain  ; 
having  more  arable  than  pasture  land,  they  use  this  high  stub- 
ble for  their  cattle,  letting  them  feed  in  it,  and  eat  what  grain 
is  left ;  afterward,  allowing  the  grass  to  grow  up  among  it, 
they  mow  all  together  for  winter  fodder.  And  now  for 
threshing,  also  in  Italian  fashion.  We  shall  find  it  spare  our 
arms  and  backs  as  much  in  that  as  in  reaping." 

The  little  sheaves  were  laid  in  a  large  circle  on  the  floor, 
the  boys  mounted  Storm,  Grumble,  Lightfoot,  and  Hurry, 
starting  off  at  a  brisk  trot,  with  many  a  merry  jest,  and  round 
they  went,  trampling  and  stamping  out  the  grain,  while  dust 
and  chaff  flew  in  clouds  about  them. 

My  wife  and  I  were  incessantly  occupied  with  hayforks,  by 
means  of  which  we  shook  up  and  moved  the  sheaves  over 
which  the  threshers  rode,  so  as  to  throw  them  in  the  track. 

From  time  to  time  the  animals  took  mouthf  uls  of  the  tempt- 
ing food  they  were  beating  out ;  we  thought  they  well  deserved 
it,  and  called  to  mind  the  command  given  to  the  Jews,  "  Thou 
shall  not  muzzle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn." 

After  threshing,  we  proceeded  to  winnowing ;  by  simply 
throwing  the  threshed  corn  with  shovels  high  in  the  air  when 
the  land  or  sea-breeze  blew  strong,  the  chaff  and  refuse  was 
carried  away  by  the  wind  and  the  grain  fell  to  the  ground. 

During  these  operations  our  poultry  paid  the  threshing-floor 
many  visits,  testifying  a  lively  interest  in  the  success  of  our 
labors,  and  gobbling  up  the  grain  at  such  a  rate  that  my  wife 
was  obliged  to  keep  them  at  a  reasonable  distance  ;  but  I 
would  not  have  them  altogether  stinted  in  the  midst  of  our 
plenty.  I  said,  "  Let  them  enjoy  themselves  ;  what  we  lose 
in  grain,  we  gain  in  flesh.  I  anticipate  delicious  chicken-pia, 
roast  goose,  and  boiled  turkey  !  " 

When  our  harvest  stores  were  housed,  we  found  that  we 
had  reaped  sixty,  eighty,  even  a  hundred  fold  what  had  been 
sown.  Our  garner  was  truly  filled  with  all  manner  of  store. 

Expecting  a  second  harvest,  we  were  constrained  to  prepare 
the  field  for  sowing  again,  and  immediately  therefore  com- 
menced mowing  down  the  stubble.  While  engaged  in  this, 
flocks  of  quails  and  partridges  came  to  glean  among  the  scat- 
tered ears.  We  did  not  secure  any  great  number,  but  resolved 
to  be  prepared  for  them  next  season,_and  by  spreading  netfi) 
to  catch  them  in  large  quantities. 


884  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

My  wife  was  satisfied  when  she  saw  the  straw  carried  home 
and  stacked  ;  our  crop  of  maize,  which  of  course  had  not  been 
threshed  like  the  other  corn,  afforded  soft  leaves  which  were 
used  for  stuffing  mattresses,  while  the  stalks,  when  burnt,  left 
ashes  so  rich  in  alkali  as  to  be  especially  useful. 

I  changed  the  crops  sown  on  the  ground  to  rye,  barley,  and 
oats,  and  hoped  they  would  ripen  before  the  rainy  season. 

The  shoals  of  herring  made  their  appearance  just  as  we  fin« 
ished  our  agricultural  operations.  This  year  we  pickled  only 
two  barrels  of  them  ;  but  we  were  not  so  merciful  toward  the 
seals,  which  arrived  on  the  coast  directlv  afterward.  We/ 
nunted  them  vigorously,  requiring  their  skins  for  many  pur-' 
poses,  more  especially  for  the  completion  of  the  cajack.  On 
the  little  deck  of  that  tiny  vessel  I  had  made  a  kind  of  maga- 
zine, in  which  to  store  pistols,  ammunition,  water,  and  pro- 
visions, and  this  I  meant  to  cover  with  sealskin,  so  as  to  be 
quite  watertight.  A  couple  of  harpoons  furnished  with  seal 
bladders  were  to  be  suspended  alongside. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Trial  of  the  cajack — Fritz  kills  a  walrus — We  carry  home  its  head— The 
storm — Where  is  Fritz  ? — Safe  at  last — The  fishing  season — An  ex- 
pedition proposed— Three  of  the  boys  start  for  Woodlands — Pigeon 
post — Encounter  with  a  hyena — Wood  Lake  explored — A  tapir— 
Prospect  Hill  pillaged — A  tragedy — The  boys  in  danger — We  join 
them — We  build  a  summer  house — Discover  the  cacao  plant — Fritz 
ascends  the  stream — He  sees  elephants  and  hippopotami — Jack's 
"moist  secret " — We  return  to  Rockburg — Grace  and  Beauty — Shark 
Island  is  fortified. 

AT  last  came  the  day  when  Fritz  was  to  make  his  trial  trip 
with  the  cajack.  Completely  equipped  in  swimming  co»- 
4ume — trousers,  jacket,  and  cap — it  was  most  ludicrous  to  see 
£im  cower  down  in  the  canoe  and  puff  and  blow  till  he  began 
to  swell  like  the  frog  in  the  fable. 

All  trace  of  his  original  figure  was  speedily  lost,  and  shoute 
of  laughter  greeted  his  comical  appearance.  Even  his  mother 
could  not  resist  a  smile,  although  the  dress  was  her  invention. 

I  got  the  other  boat  out,  that  my  wife  might  see  we  wert 
ready  to  go  to  his  assistance  the  moment  it  became  necessary. 

The  cajack  was  launched  from  a  convenient  shelving  point,, 
and  floated  lightly  on  the  sea-green  ocean  mirror.  Fritz  with 
his  paddles  then  began  to  practise  all  manner  of  evolutions  : 
darting  along  with  arrowy  swiftness,  wheeling  to  the  right,  then 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  931 

40  the  left ;  and  at  last,  flinging  himself  quite  on  hie  side, 
while  his  mother  uttered  a  shriek  of  terror,  he  showed  that 
the  tiny  craft  would  neither  capsize  nor  sink.  Then,  recover- 
ing his  balance,  he  sped  securely  on  his  further  way. 

Encouraged  by  our  shouts  of  approbation,  he  now  boldly 
ventured  into  the  strong  current  of  Jackal  River,  and  was  rap- 
idly carried  out  to  sea. 

This  being  more  than  I  had  bargained  for,  I  lost  no  time  in 
giving  chase  in  the  boat,  with  Ernest  and  Jack  ;  my  wife 
urging  us  to  greater  speed,  and  declaring  that  some  accident 
could  not  fail  to  happen  to  "  that  horrid  soap-bubble." 

We  soon  arrived  outside  the  bay,  at  the  rocks  where  for- 
merly lay  the  wreck,  and  gazed  in  all  directions  for  signs  of  the 
runaway. 

After  a  time  we  saw,  at  a  considerable  distance,  a  faint  puff 
of  smoke,  followed  by  the  crack  of  a  pistol.  Upon  this  we 
fired  a  signal  shot,  which  was  presently  answered  by  another, 
and,  steering  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  we  soon  heard  the 
boy's  cheery  halloo  ;  the  cajack  darted  from  behind  a  point  of 
land,  and  we  quickly  joined  company. 

"  Come  to  this  rocky  beach,"  cried  Fritz,  "  I  have  something 
to  show  you." 

With  blank  amazement  we  beheld  a  fine,  well-grown  young 
walrus,  harpooned  and  quite  dead. 

"  Did  you  kill  this  creature,  my  dear  Fritz  ?  "  I  exclaimed, 
looking  round  in  some  anxiety,  and  half  expecting  to  see  a 
aaked  savage  come  to  claim  the  prize. 

"  To  be  sure,  father  !  don't  you  see  my  harpoon  ?  Why  do 
you  doubt  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  scarcely  know,"  replied  I,  laughing  ;  "  but  success 
so  speedy,  so  unexpected,  and  so  appropriate,  to  an  amateur 
Greenlander,  took  me  by  surprise.  I  congratulate  you,  my  boy  ! 
But  I  must  tell  you  that  you  have  alarmed  us  by  making  this 
long  trip.  Yon  should  not  have  gone  out  of  the  bay.  I  left 
your  mother  in  grievous  trouble." 

"  Indeed,  father,  I  had  no  idea  of  passing  out  of  sight,  but 
once  in  the  current,  I  was  carried  along,  and  could  not  help' 
myself.  Then  I  came  on  a  herd  of  walruses,  and  I  did  so  long 
to  make  a  prize  of  one  that  I  forgot  everything  else,  and  made 
chase  after  them  when  beyond  the  influence  of  the  current, 
until  I  got  near  enough  to  harpoon  this  fine  fellow.  He  swam 
more  slowly,  and  I  struck  him  a  second  time  ;  then  he  sought 
refuge  among  these  rocks,  and  expired.  I  landed,  and  scram- 
bled  to  where  he  lay,  but  I  took  care  to  give  him  the  contents 


236  THE    SWISS   FAMILY    BOBLNSOlf. 

of  my  pistol  before  going  close  up,  having  a  salutary  recoiled 
tion  of  the  big  serpent's  parting  fling  at  you,  Jack." 

"  You  ran  a  very  great  risk,"  said  I.  "  The  walrus  is  an  in- 
offensive creature  ;  but  when  attacked  and  wounded,  it  often 
becomes  furious,  and,  turning  upon  its  pursuer,  can  destroy, 
with  its  long  tusks,  a  strongly  built  whale  boat.  However, 
thank*  God  for  your  safety  !  I  value  that  above  a  thousand 
such  creatures.  Now,  what's  to  be  done  with  him  ?  He  must 
be  quite  fourteen  feet  long,  although  not  full  grown." 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  followed  me,  father,"  said  Fritz  ;  "  but 
our  united  strength  will  not  remove  this  prodigious  weight 
from  among  these  rocks  ;  only  do  let  me  carry  away  the  head, 
with  these  grand,  snow-white  tusks  !  I  should  so  like  to  fasten 
it  on  the  prow  of  the  cajack,  and  name  it  the  Sea-horse" 

"  We  must  certainly  carry  away  the  beautiful  ivory  tusks,'* 
said  I ;  "  but  make  haste  ;  the  air  feels  so  excessively  close 
and  sultry,  I  think  a  storm  is  brewing." 

"  But  the  head !  the  head  !  we  must  have  the  whole  head," 
cried  Jack  ;  "  just  think  how  splendid  it  will  look  on  the  ca- 
jack !  " 

"And  how  splendid  it  will  smell  too,  when  it  begins  to 
putrify,"  added  Ernest ;  "  what  a  treat  for  the  steersman  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  will  prepare  for  that,"  said  Fritz  ;  "  it  shall  be 
soaked  and  cleaned,  and  dried  until  it  is  as  hard  as  a  wooden 
model  ;  it  shall  not  offend  yonr  delicate  nose  in  the  least, 
Ernest  !  " 

"I  supposed  the  walrus  to  be  an  animal  peculiar  to  the  Arc- 
tic regions,"  remarked  Ernest. 

"  And  so  it  is,"  I  replied  ;  "  though  they  may  occasionally 
be  seen  elsewhere  ;  these  may  have  wandered  from  the  Ant- 
arctic seas.  I  know  that  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa  is  found 
a  smaller  species  of  walrus  called  the  dugong  ;  it  has  long 
incisor  teeth,  but  not  tusks  ;  and  certainly  resembles  a  seal, 
rather  than  a  walrus." 

While  thus  speaking,  we  were  actively  engaged  in  the  de- 
capitation of  the  walrus,  and  in  cutting  off  long  strips  of  its 
akin.  This  took  some  time,  as  we  had  not  the  proper  imple- 
ments, and  Fritz  remarked  that  in  future  the  cajack  must  be 
provided  with  a  hunting-knife  and  a  hatchet ;  adding  that  he 
should  like  to  have  a  small  compass  in  a  box,  with  a  glass  top, 
fixed  in  front  of  the  hole  where  the  steersman  sits.  I  saw  the 
necessity  of  this,  and  I  promised  it  should  be  done. 

Our  work  being  accomplished,  we  were  ready  to  go,  and  I 
proposed  to  take  Fritz  and  the  canoe  on  board  our  boat,  so 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOIf.  387 

that  we  might  all  arrive  together  ;  but  I  yielded  to  his  earn. 
est  wish  to  return  alone  as  he  came  ;  he  longed  to  act  as  our 
avant-courier,  and  announce  our  approach  to  his  mother ;  BO 
he  was  soon  skimming  away  over  the  surface  of  the  water, 
while  we  followed  at  a  slower  rate. 

Black  clouds  meanwhile  gathered  thick  and  fast  around  us, 
and  a  tremendous  storm  came  on.  Fritz  was  out  of  sight,  and 
beyAnd  our  reach. 

We  buckled  on  the  swimming  belts  and  firmly  lashed  our 
selves  to  the  boat,  so  that  we  might  not  be  washed  overboard 
by  the  towering  seas  which  broke  over  it. 

The  horizon  was  shrouded  in  darkness,  fearful  gusts  of 
wind  lashed  the  ocean  into  foam,  rain  descended  in  torrents, 
while  livid  lightning  glared  athwart  the  gloom.  Both  my 
boys  faced  the  danger  nobly  ;  and  my  feelings  of  alarm  were 
mingled  with  hope  on  finding  how  well  the  boat  behaved. 

The  tempest  swept  on  its  way,  and  the  sky  began  to  clear 
as  suddenly  as  it  had  been  overcast ;  yet  the  stormy  waves 
continued  for  a  long  time  to  threaten  our  frail  bark  wiih  de- 
struction, in  spite  of  its  buoyancy  and  steadiness. 

Yet  I  never  lost  hope  for  ourselves — all  my  fears  were  for 
Fritz  ;  in  fact  I  gave  him  up  for  lost,  and  my  whole  acronized 
heart  arose  in  prayer  for  strength  to  say,  "  Thy  will  be  done  ! " 

At  last  we  rounded  the  point,  and  once  more  entering  Safety 
Bay,  quickly  drew  near  the  little  harbor. 

What  was  our  surprise — our  overwhelming  delight — when 
there  we  saw  the  mother  with  Fritz,  as  well  as  her  little  boy, 
on  their  knees  in  prayer  so  earnest  for  our  deliverance,  that  our 
approach  was  unperceived,  until  with  cries  of  joy  we  attracted 
their  notice.  Then  indeed  ensued  a  happy  meeting,  and  we 
gave  thanks  together  for  the  mercy  which  had  spared  our  lives. 

Returning  joyfully  to  Rockburg,  we  changed  our  drenched 
garments  for  warm,  dry  clothes  ;  and,  seated  at  a  comfortable 
meal,  considered  and  described  at  our  ease  the  perils  of  the 
etorm. 

Afterward,  the  head  of  the  walrus  was  conveyed  to  our 
workshop ;  where  it  underwent  such  a  skillful  and  thorough 
process  of  cleaning,  embalming,  and  drying,  that  ere  long  it 
was  actually  fixed  on  the  prow  of  the  cajack,  and  a  most  im- 
posing appearance  it  presented  ! 

The  strips  of  hide,  when  well-tanned  and  prepared,  made 
valuable  leather. 

Much  damage  had  been  done  by  the  late  storm.  The 
heavy  rain  had  flooded  all  the  streams,  and  injured  crops 


S88  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   EOBESTSON. 

which  should  have  been  housed  before  the  regular  rainy 
season. 

The  bridge  over  Jackal  River  was  partly  broken  down,  and 
the  water  tanks  and  pipes  all  needed  repair.  So  our  time  wa§ 
much  occupied  in  restoring  things  to  order. 

On  going  to  work  one  day,  near  the  cascade,  we  found  a 
great  number  of  dark  red  berries  scattered  on  the  ground  ; 
they  were  about  the  size  of  ordinary  hazel  nuts,  with  small 
leafy  coronets  at  the  tip. 

The  boys  thought  them  so  inviting,  that  they  tasted  them 
at  once,  but  angry  exclamations  and  much  spitting  and  splutter- 
ing followed  the  experiment ;  even  Knips  rejected  them,  and 
they  would  have  been  cast  aside  with  contempt,  had  not  the 
smell  induced  me  to  examine  them.  I  decided  that  this  was 
the  fruit  of  the  clove. 

Some  plants  were  immediately  set  in  the  nursery  garden, 
and  my  wife  was  pleased  to  have  this  excellent  spice  where- 
with to  flavor  her  boiled  rice  and  other  dishes,  in  lieu  of 
pepper — a  very  welcome  variety  to  everyone. 

Having  a  good  supply  of  clay,  brought  from  the  bed  near 
Falconhurst,  I  proposed  to  use  it  for  making  aqueducts ;  and, 
observing  how  much  the  recent  rain  had  promoted  the  growth 
of  our  young  corn,  I  determined  to  irrigate  the  fields  with  the 
drainage  from  our  crushing  mill. 

The  fishing  season  was  again  successful.  Large  takes  of 
salmon,  sturgeon,  and  herring  rewarded  our  annual  exertions, 
and  our  storeroom  again  assumed  a  well-stocked  appearance. 
Much  as  I  wished  that  we  could  obtain  a  constant  supply  of 
these  fish  fresh,  I  was  obliged  to  reject  the  naive  proposal  from 
Jack,  that  we  should  tether  a  shoal  of  salmon  by  the  gills  to 
the  bottom  of  the  bay  as  we  had  secured  the  turtles. 

Many  quiet  uneventful  days  passed  by,  and  I  perceived  that 
the  boys,  wearied  by  the  routine  of  farm  work  at  Rockburg, 
were  longing  for  a  cruise  in  the  yacht  or  an  expedition  into  the 
woods,  which  would  refresh  both  mind  and  body. 

"  Father,"  said  Fritz  at  length,  "  we  want  a  quantity  of  hur- 
dles, and  have  scarcely  any  more  bamboos  of  which  to  make 
them.  Had  we  not  better  get  a  supply  from  Woodlands? 
And  you  said,  too,  the  other  day,  that  you  wished  you  had 
some  more  of  the  fine  clay :  we  might  visit  the  Gap  at  the 
same  time." 

I  had  really  no  objection  to  propose  ;  and  it  was  shortly 
afterward  settled  that  Fritz,  Jack,  and  Franz  should  start  to- 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBDTSON.  239 

gether  ;  and  that  Ernest,  who  had  no  great  desire  to  accom- 
pany his  brothers,  should  remain  with  his  mother  and  me,  and 
assist  in  the  construction  of  a  sugar  mill,  the  erection  of  which 
I  had  long  contemplated. 

Before  they  started,  Fritz  begged  some  bear's  meat  from  the 
Another,  to  make  pemmican. 

"  And  what  may  pemmican  be  ?"  she  asked. 

"  It  is  food  carried  by  the  fur-traders  of  North  America  on 
their  long  journeys  through  the  wild  country  they  traverse  ; 
and  consists  of  bear  or  deer's  flesh,  first  cooked  and  then 
pounded  or  ground  to  powder.  It  is  very  portable,  and 
nourishing." 

His  mother  consented  "  to  humor  him,"  as  she  said,  although 
without  much  faith  ia  the  value  of  the  preparation  ;  and  in 
the  course  of  two  days  a  stock  of  pemmican,  sufficient  for  a 
Polar  expedition,  was  fabricated  by  our  enthusiastic  son. 

They  were  ready  to  start,  when  I  observed  Jack  quietly  slip 
a  basket,  containing  several  pigeons,  under  the  packages  in  the 
cart. 

"  Oh,  oh  ! "  thought  I, "  the  little  fellow  has  his  doubts  about 
that  pemmican,  and  thinks  a  tough  old  pigeon  would  be  pref- 
erable." 

The  weather  was  exquisite  ;  and,  with  exhortations  to  pru- 
dence and  caution  from  both  me  and  their  mother,  the  three 
lads  started  in  the  very  highest  spirits.  Storm  and  Grumble, 
as  usual,  drew  the  cart,  and  were  ridden  by  Fritz  and  Franz  ; 
while  Hurry  carried  Jack  swiftly  across  the  bridge  in  advance 
of  them  ;  followed  by  Floss  and  Bruno,  barking  at  his  heels. 

The  sugar  mill  occupied  us  for  several  days,  and  was  made 
so  much  like  our  other  mills  that  I  need  not  now  describe  it. 

On  the  evening  of  the  first  day,  as  we  sat  resting  in  the 
porch  at  Rockburg,  we  naturally  talked  of  the  absentees,  won- 
dering and  guessing  what  they  might  be  about. 

Ernest  looked  rather  mysterious,  and  hinted  that  he  might 
have  news  of  them  next  morning. 

Just  then  a  bird  alighted  on  the  dovecot,  and  entered.  I 
could  not  see,  in  the  failing  light,  whether  it  was  one  of  our 
own  pigeons  or  an  intruder.  Ernest  started  up,  and  said  he 
would  see  that  all  was  right. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  returned  with  a  scrap  of  paper  in  his 
hand. 

"  News,  father  1      The  very  latest  news  by  pigeon 
mother  1 " 


S40  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

"  "Well  done,  boys  !  what  a  capital  idea  ! "  said  I,  and  taking 
the  note  I  read  : 

"  DEAREST  PARENTS  AND  ERNEST  : 

"  A  brute  of  a  hyena  has  killed  a  ram  and  two  Iambs.  The 
dogs  seized  it.  Franz  shot  it.  It  is  dead  and  skinned.  The 
pemmican  isn't  worth  much,  but  we  are  all  right.  Love  to  all. 

"  FBITZ. 
"WOODLANDS,  15th  instant." 

\ 

"  A  true  hunter's  letter  !  "  laughed  I ;  "  but  what  exciting 
news.  When  does  the  next  post  come  in,  Ernest  ?  " 

"  To-night,  I  hope,"  said  he,  while  his  mother  sighed,  and 
doubted  the  value  of  such  glimpses  into  the  scenes  of  danger 
through  which  her  sons  were  passing,  declaring  she  would 
much  rather  wait  and  hear  all  about  it  when  she  had  them  safe 
home  again. 

Thus  the  winged  letter-carriers  kept  us  informed  from  day 
to  day  of  the  outline  of  adventures  which  were  afterward  more 
fully  described. 

On  approaching  the  farm  at  Woodlands,  the  boys  were 
startled  by  hearing,  as  they  thought,  human  laughter,  re- 
peated again  and  again  ;  while,  to  their  astonishment,  the 
oxen  testified  the  greatest  uneasiness,  the  dogs  growled  and 
drew  close  to  their  masters,  and  the  ostrich  fairly  bolted  with 
Jack  into  the  rice  swamp. 

The  laughter  continued,  and  the  beasts  became  unmanage- 
able. 

"  Something  is  very  far  wrong  ! "  cried  Fritz.  "  I  cannot 
leave  the  animals  ;  but  while  I  unharness  them,  do  you,  Franz, 
take  the  dogs,  and  advance  cautiously  to  see  what  is  the  mat- 
ter." 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  Franz  made  his  way  among 
the  bushes  with  his  gun,  closely  followed  by  the  dogs  ; 
until,  through  an  opening  in  the  thicket,  he  could  see,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  forty  paces,  an  enormous  hyena,  in  the  most 
wonderful  state  of  excitement ;  dancing  round  a  lamb  just 
killed,  and  uttering,  from  time  to  time,  the  ghastly  hysterical 
laughter  which  had  pealed  through  the  forest. 

The  beast  kept  running  backward  and  forward,  rising  on  ita 
hind  legs,  and  then  rapidly  whirling  round  and  round,  nodding 
its  head,  and  going  through  most  frantic  and  ludicrous  antics. 

Franz  kept  his  presence  of  mind  very  well ;  for  he  watched 
till,  calming  down,  the  hvena  began  with  horrid  growls  to 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOK.  241 

tear  its  prey  ;  and  then,  firing  steadily  both  barrels,  he  broke 
its  foreleg,  and  wounded  it  in  the  breast. 

Meanwhile  Fritz,  having  unyoked  the  oxen  and  secured  them 
to  trees,  hurried  to  his  brother's  assistance.  The  dogs  and  the 
dying  hyena  were  by  this  time  engaged  in  mortal  strife  ;  but 
the  latter,  although  it  severely  wounded  both  Floss  and  Bruno, 
speedily  succumbed,  and  w^s  dead  when  the  boys  reached  the 
spot.  They  raised  a  shout  of  triumph,  which  guided  Jack  to 
the  scene  of  action  ;  and  their  first  care  was  for  the  dogs, 
whose  wounds  they  dressed  before  minutely  examining  the 
*\yena.  It  was  as  large  as  a  wild  boar;  long  stiff  bristles 
iormed  a  mane  on  its  neck,  its  color  was  gray  marked  with 
black,  the  teeth  and  jaws  were  of  extraordinary  strength,  the 
thighs  muscular  and  sinewy,  the  claws  remarkably  strong  and 
sharp  altogether.  But  for  his  wounds  he  would  certainly  have 
been  more  than  a  match  for  the  dogs. 

After  unloading  the  cart  at  the  farm,  the  boys  returned  for 
the  carcass  of  the  tiger-wolf,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  and  oc- 
cupied themselves  in  skinning  it  during  the  remainder  of  the 
day,  when,  after  dispatching  the  carrier-pigeon  to  Rockburg, 
they  retired  to  rest  on  their  bearskin  rugs,  to  dream  of  adven- 
tures past  and  future. 

The  following  day  they  devised  no  less  a  scheme  than  to 
survey  the  shores  of  Wood  Lake,  and  place  marks  wherever 
the  surrounding  marsh  was  practicable,  and  might  be  crossed 
either  to  reach  the  water  or  leave  it. 

Fritz  in  the  cajack,  and  the  boys  on  shore,  carefully  examined 
the  ground  together ;  and  when  they  found  firm  footing  to 
the  water's  edge,  the  spot  was  indicated  by  planting  a  tall 
bamboo,  bearing  on  high  a  bundle  of  reeds  and  branches. 

They  succeeded  in  capturing  three  young  black  swans,  after 
considerable  resistance  from  the  old  ones.  They  were  after- 
ward brought  *o  Rockburg,  and  detained  as  ornaments  to 
Safety  Bay. 

Presently  a  beautiful  heron  thrust  his  long  neck  from  among 
the  reeds,  to  ascertain  what  all  the  noise  on  the  lake  was  about. 
Before  he  could  satisfy  his  curiosity,  Fritz  unhooded  his 
eagle,  and  though  vainly  he  flapped  and  struggled,  his  legs  and 
wings  were  gently  but  firmly  bound,  and  he  had  to  own  him- 
self vanquished,  and  submit  to  the  inspection  of  his  delighted 
captors. 

It  was  their  turn  to  be  alarmed  next,  for  a  large  powerful 
animal  came  puffing,  with  a  curious  whistling  sound,  through 
the  dense  thicket  of  reeds,  passing  close  by  and  sorely  discom- 


942  THE    SWISS    FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

posing  them  by  its  sudden  appearance.  It  was  out  of  sight 
immediately,  before  they  could  summon  the  dogs,  and  from 
their  description  it  must  have  been  a  tapir,  the  color  dark 
brown,  and  in  form  resembling  a  young  rhinoceros,  but  with 
no  horn  on  the  nose,  and  the  upper  lip  prolonged  into  a  trunk 
something  like  that  of  an  elephant  on  a  smaller  scale.  It  is  a 
gentle  creature,  but  when  attacked  becomes  a  fierce  opponent, 
and  can  wound  dogs  dangerously  with  its  powerful  teeth. 

The  tapir  can  swim  and  dive  with  perfect  ease,  and  abounds 
in  the  densely  wooded  swamps  and  rivers  of  tropical  America. 
1  Fritz  in  his  cajack  followed  for  a  time  the  direction  in  which 
the  tapir  proceeded,  but  saw  no  more  of  it. 

Meanwhile  the  other  two  boys  returned  to  the  farm  by  th« 
rice  fields,  and  there  fell  in  with  a  flock  of  cranes,  five  or  six 
of  which  they  caught  alive,  among  them  two  demoiselles  or 
Numidian  cranes.  These  birds  they  shot  at  with  arrows  ar- 
ranged in  a  skillful  and  original  way,  with  loops  of  cord  dipped 
in  birdlime  attached  to  them,  so  that  it  often  happened  that 
the  bird  aimed  at  was  entangled  and  brought  down  uninjured. 

The  young  hunters  seemed  to  have  lived  very  comfortably 
on  peccary  ham,  cassava  bread  and  fruit,  and  plenty  of  baked 
potatoes  and  milk. 

One  trial  of  the  pemmican  was  sufficient,  and  it  was  handed 
over  to  the  dogs.  Fritz,  however,  determined  again  to  at- 
tempt the  manufacture,  knowing  its  value  when  properly 
prepared. 

After  collecting  a  supply  of  rice  and  cotton,  they  took  their 
way  to  Prospect  Hill ;  "  and,"  said  Fritz,  as  he  afterward 
vividly  described  the  dreadful  scene  there  enacted,  "  when  we 
entered  the  pine  wood,  we  found  it  in  possession  of  troops  of 
monkeys,  who  resolved  to  make  our  passage  through  it  as  dis- 
agreeable as  possible,  for  they  howled  and  chattered  at  us  like 
demons,  pelting  us  as  hard  as  they  could  with  pine  cones. 

"They  became  so  unbearable,  that  at  last  we  fired  a  few 
•hot  right  and  left  among  them  ;  several  bit  the  dust,  the  rest 
fled,  and  we  continued  our  way  in  peace  to  Prospect  Hill,  but 
•nly  to  discover  the  havoc  the  wretches  had  made  there. 

"Would  you  believe  it,  father?  The  pleasant  cottage 
had  been  over-run  and  ruined  by  apes  just  as  Woodland 
last  summer  1  The  most  dreadful  dirt  and  disorder  met 
our  eyes  wherever  we  turned,  and  we  had  hard  work  to  make 
the  place  fit  for  human  habitation  ;  and  even  then  we  preferred 
the  tent.  I  felt  quite  at  a  loss  how  to  guard  the  farm  for  the 
future  ;  bat  seeing  a  bottle  of  the  poisonous  gum  of  the  en- 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON.  243 

phorbia  in  the  tool  chest,  I  devised  a  plan  for  the  destruction 
of  the  apes  which  succeeded  beyond  my  expectations. 

"  I  mixed  poison  with  milk,  bruised  millet,  and  anything  I 
thought  the  monkeys  would  eat,  and  put  it  in  cocoanut  shells, 
which  I  hung  about  in  the  trees,  high  enough  to  be  out  of  reach 
of  our  own  animals.  The  evening  was  calm  and  lovely;  the  sea 
murmured  in  the  distance,  and  the  rising  moon  shed  a  beauty 
over  the  landscape  which  we  seemed  never  before  to  have  so 
idmired  and  enjoyed.  The  summer  night  closed  around  us  in 
%11  its  solemn  stillness,  and  our  deepest  feelings  were  touched  ± 
when,  suddenly  the  spell  was  broken  by  an  outburst  of  the  most 
hideous  and  discordant  noises.  As  by  one  consent,  every  beast 
of  the  forest  seemed  to  arise  from  its  den,  and  utter  its  wild 
nocturnal  cry.  Snorting,  snarling,  and  shrieking  filled  the 
wood  beneath  us. 

"  From  the  hills  echoed  the  mournful  howl  of  jackals,  an- 
swered by  Fangs  in  the  yard,  who  was  backed  up  by  the  bark- 
ing and  yelping  of  his  friends  Floss  and  Bruno.  Far  away  be- 
yond the  rocky  fastnesses  of  the  Gap,  sounded  unearthly,  hollow 
gnortings  and  neighings,  reminding  one  of  the  strange  cry  of 
the  hippopotamus  ;  above  these,  occasional  deep  majestic  roar- 
ing made  our  hearts  quail  with  the  conviction  that  we  heard 
the  voices  of  lions  and  elephants. 

"  Overawed  and  silent,  we  retired  to  rest,  hoping  to  forget 
in  sleep  the  terrors  of  the  midnight  forest,  but  ere  long  the  most 
fearful  cries  in  the  adjoining  woods  gave  notice  that  the  apes 
were  beginning;  to  suffer  from  the  poisoned  repast  prepared 
for  them. 

"  As  our  dogs  could  not  remain  silent  amid  the  uproar  and 
din,  we  had  not  a  wink  of  sleep  until  the  morning.  It  waa 
late,  therefore,  when  we  rose,  and  looked  on  the  awful  spectacle 
presented  by  the  multitude  of  dead  monkeys  and  baboons 
thickly  strewn  under  the  trees  round  the  farm.  I  shall  not 
tell  you  how  many  there  were.  I  can  only  say,  I  wished  I  had 
not  found  the  poison,  and  we  made  all  haste  to  clear  away  the 
dead  bodies,  and  the  dangerous  food,  burying  some  deep  in  the 
earth,  and,  carrying  the  rest  to  the  shore,  we  pitched  them  over 
the  rocks  into  the  sea.  That  day  we  traveled  on  to  the  Gap." 

The  same  evening  that  the  boys  reached  the  rocky  pass,  a 
messenger  pigeon  arrived  at  Rockburg,  bearing  a  note  which 
concluded  in  the  followings  words  : 

"  The  barricade  at  the  Gap  is  broken  down.  Everything  laid 
waste  as  far  as  the  sugar-brake,  where  the  hut  is  knocked  to 
pieces,  and  the  fields  trampled  «T«c  by  huge  footmarks. 


944  THB    SWISS   FAMILY   BOBESTSOK. 

Come  to  us,  father — we  are  safe,  but  feel  we  are  no  match  fot 
this  unknown  danger." 

I  lost  not  an  instant,  but  saddled  Swift,  late  as  it  was,  in 
order  to  ride  to  the  assistance  of  our  boys,  desiring  Ernest  to 
prepare  the  small  cart,  and  follow  me  with  his  mother  at  day- 
break, bringing  everything  we  should  require  for  camping  out 
for  some  days. 

The  bright  moonlight  favored  my  journey,  and  my  arrival 
at  the  Gap  surprised  and  delighted  the  boys,  who  did  not  ex- 
peot  me  till  the  next  day.  Early  on  the  following  morning  I 
inspected  the  footprints  and  ravages  of  the  great  unknown. 
The  cane  brake  had,  without  doubt,  been  visited  by  an  elephant. 
That  great  animal  alone  could  have  left  such  traces  and  com- 
mitted such  fearful  ravages.  Thick  posts  in  the  barricade 
were  snapped  across  like  reeds  ;  the  trees  in  the  vicinity,  where 
we  planned  to  build  a  cool  summer-house,  were  stripped  of 
leaves  and  branches  to  a  great  height,  but  the  worst  mischief 
was  done  among  the  young  sugar-cane  plants,  which  were  all 
either  devoured  or  trampled  down  and  destroyed. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  not  one  elephant,  but  a  troop  must 
have  invaded  our  grounds.  The  tracks  were  very  numerous, 
and  the  footprints  of  various  sizes  ;  but,  to  my  satisfaction, 
I  saw  that  they  could  be  traced  not  only  from  the  Gap,  but 
back  to  it  in  evidently  equal  numbers. 

We  did  not,  therefore,  suppose  that  the  mighty  animals 
remained  hidden  in  the  woods  of  our  territory  ;  but  concluded 
that,  after  this  freebooting  incursion,  they  had  withdrawn 
to  their  native  wilds,  where,  by  greatly  increasing  the  strength 
of  our  ramparts,  we  hoped  henceforth  to  oblige  them  to 
remain. 

In  what  manner  to  effect  this  we  laid  many  plans,  during 
the  night  of  my  arrival,  when,  sitting  by  an  enormous  watch- 
fire,  I  chatted  with  my  boys,  and  heard  details  of  their 
numerous  adventures,  so  interesting  for  them  to  relate,  and 
for  me  to  hear,  that  everyone  was  more  disposed  to  act 
sentinel  than  retire  to  sleep. 

The  mother  and  Ernest  arrived  next  day,  and  she  rejoiced 
to  find  all  well,  making  light  of  trodden  fields  and  tram- 
pled sugar-canes,  since  her  sons  were  sound  in  life  and 
limb. 

A  systematic  scheme  of  defense  was  now  elaborated,  and 
the  erection  of  the  barricade  occupied  us  for  at  least  a  month, 
as  it  was  to  be  a  firm  and  durable  building,  proof  against  all 
invasion.  As  our  little  teat  was  unsuited  to  a  long  residence 


TEE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBrNSOIT.  345 

of  this  sort,  I  adopted  Fritz's  idea  of  a  Kamschatchan  dwell- 
ing, and,  to  his  great  delight,  forthwith  carried  it  out. 

Instead  of  planting  four  posts,  on  which  to  place  a  plat- 
torra,  we  chose  four  trees  of  equal  size,  which,  in  a  very 
suitable  place,  grew  exactly  in  a  square,  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet  apart.  Between  these,  at  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground,  we  laid  a  flooring  of  beams  and  bamboo,  smoothly 
and  strongly  planked.  From  this  rose,  on  all  four  sides,  walls 
of  cane  ;  the  frame  of  the  roof  was  covered  so  effectually  by 
large  pieces  of  bark  that  no  rain  could  penetrate. 

The  staircase  to  this  tree-cottage  was  simply  a  broad  plank 
with  bars  nailed  across  it  for  steps.  The  iiooring  projected 
like  a  balcony  in  front  of  the  entrance  door,  and  underneath, 
on  the  ground,  we  fitted  up  sheds  for  cattle  and  fowls. 

Various  ornaments  in  Chinese  or  Japanese  style  were  added 
to  the  roof  and  eaves,  and  a  most  convenient,  cool,  and 
pictui'esque  cottage,  overhung  and  adorned  by  the  graceful 
foliage  of  the  trees,  was  the  result  of  our  ingenuity. 

I  was  pleased  to  find  that  the  various  birds  taken  by  the 
boys  during  this  excursion  seemed  likely  to  thiive  ;  they  were 
the  first  inmates  of  the  new  sheds,  and  even  the  black  swans 
and  cranes  soon  became  tame  and  sociable. 

Constantly  roaming  through  the  woods,  the  children  often 
aaade  new  discoveries. 

Fritz  brought  one  day,  after  an  excursion  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  stream  beyond  the  Gap,  a  cluster  of  bananas,  and 
also  of  cacao  beans,  from  which  chocolate  is  made. 

The  banana,  although  valuable  and  nourishing  food  for  the 
natives  of  the  tropical  countries  where  it  grows,  is  not 
generally  liked  by  Europeans,  and  probably  this  variety  was 
even  inferior  to  many  others,  for  we  found  the  fruit  much  like 
rotten  pears,  and  almost  uneatable. 

The  cacao  seeds  tasted  exceedingly  bitter,  and  it  seemed 
wonderful  that  by  preparation  they  should  produce  anything 
so  delicious  as  chocolate. 

My  wife,  who  now  fancied  no  manufacture  beyond  my  skill, 
begged  for  plants,  seeds,  or  cuttings  to  propagate  in  her 
nursery  garden,  already  fancying  herself  in  the  enjoyment  of 
chocolate  for  breakfast,  and  I  promised  to  make  a  cacao 
plantation  near  home. 

"  Let  me  have  bananas  also,"  said  she, "  for  we  may  acquire 
a  taste  for  that  celebrated  fruit,  and,  at  all  events,  1  am  sure 
I  can  make  it  into  an  excellent  preserve." 

The  day  before  our  return  to  Rockborg,  Fritz  wervt 


946  THB   SWI«I  FAMILY   BOBINSOW. 

to  the  inland  region  beyond  the  river  to  obtain  a  large 
of  young  banana  plants,  and  the  cacao  fruit.  He  took  the 
cajack,  and  a  bundle  of  reeds  to  float  behind  him  as  a  raft  to 
carry  the  fruit,  plants,  and  anything  else  he  might  wish  to 
bring  back. 

In  the  evening  he  made  his  appearance,  coming  swiftly  down 
stream.  His  brothers  rushed  to  meet  him,  each  eager  to  see 
and  help  to  land  his  cargo. 

Ernest  and  Fritz  were  quickly  running  up  the  bank,  with 
arms  full  of  plants,  branches,  and  fruits,  when  Fritz  handed 
to  Jack  a  dripping  wet  bag  which  he  had  brought  along  partly 
under  water.  A  curious  pattering  noise  proceeded  from  this 
bag,  but  they  kept  the  contents  a  secret  for  the  present,  Jack 
running  with  it  behind  a  bush  before  peeping  in,  and  I  could 
just  hear  him  exclaim : 

"  Hullo  !  I  say,  what  monsters  they  are.  It's  enough  to 
make  a  fellow's  flesh  creep  to  look  at  them  ! " 

With  that  he  hastily  shut  up  the  bag,  and  put  it  away 
safely  out  of  sight  in  water. 

Securing  the  cajack,  Fritz  sprang  toward  us,  his  handsome 
face  radiant  with  pleasure,  as  he  exhibited  a  beautiful  water- 
fowl. 

Its  plumage  was  rioh  purple,  changing  on  the  back  to  dark 
green  ;  the  legs,  feet,  and  a  mark  above  the  bill,  bright  red. 
This  lovely  bird  I  concluded  to  be  the  sultan  cock  described 
by  Buffon,  and  as  it  was  gentle,  we  gladly  received  it  among 
our  domestic  pets. 

Fritz  gave  a  stirring  account  of  his  exploring  trip,  having 
made  his  way  far  up  the  river,  between  fertile  plains  and  ma- 
jestic forests  of  lofty  trees,  where  the  cries  of  vast  numbers  of 
birds,  parrots,  peacocks,  guinea  fowls,  and  hundreds  unknown 
to  him,  quite  bewildered,  and  made  him  feel  giddy. 

"It  was  in  the  Buffalo  Swamp,"  continued  he,  "that  I  saw 
the  splendid  birds  you  call  sultan  cocks,  and  I  set  my  heart  on 
catching  one  alive,  which,  as  they  seemed  to  have  little  fear 
of  my  approach,  I  managed  by  means  of  a  wire  snare.  Far- 
ther on  1  saw  a  grove  of  mimosa  trees,  among  which  huge 
dark  masses  were  moving  in  a  deliberate  way.  Guess  what 
they  were  ! " 

"  Savages  ?  "  asked  Franz  timidly. 

"  Black  bears,  I  bet  !  "  cried  Jack. 

"  Your  words  suggest  to  my  mind  the  manner  and  appear- 
ance of  elephants,"  said  Ernest. 

"  Bight  you  are,  Professor  1 "  exclaimed  Fritz  gaily,  the 


THB   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBIffSOtf. 

words  producing  quite  a  sensation  on  the  whole  attentive 
family.  "From  fifteen  to  twenty  elephants  were  feeding 
peacefully  on  the  leafy  boughs,  tearing  down  branches  with 
their  trunks  and  shoving  them  into  their  mouths  with  one  jerk, 
or  bathing  in  the  deep  waters  of  the  marsh  for  refreshment  in 
the  great  heat.  You  cannot  imagine  the  wild  grandeur  of  the 
scene  !  The  river  being  very  broad,  I  felt  safe  from  wild  anv  , 
mals,  and  more  than  once  saw  splendid  jaguars  crouched  <& 
the  banks,  their  glossy  skin  glancing  in  the  sunlight. 

"  While  considering  if  it  would  be  simply  foolhardy  to  try 
a  shot  at  one  of  these  creatures,  I  was  suddenly  convinced 
that  discretion  is  the  better  part  of  valor,  and  urging  my 
canoe  into  the  center  current,  made  a  rapid  retreat  down  the 
river.  For  just  before  me,  in  the  calm  deep  water  of  a  shel- 
tered bay  where  I  was  quietly  floating,  there  arose  a  violent 
boiling,  bubbling  commotion,  and  for  an  instant  I  thought  a 
hot  spring  was  going  to  burst  forth — instead  of  that,  uprose 
the  hideous  head  and  gaping  jaws  of  a  hippopotamus,  who, 
with  a  hoarse,  terrific  snort,  seemed  about  to  attack  me.  I  can 
tell  you  I  did  not  wait  to  see  the  rest  of  him  !  a  glimpse  of 
his  enormous  [mouth  and  its  array  of  white  gleaming  tusks 
was  quite  enough.  '  Right  about  face  ! '  said  I  to  myself,  and 
shot  down  the  stream  like  an  arrow,  never  pausing  till  a  bend 
in  the  river  brought  me  within  sight  of  the  Gap,  where  I  once 
more  felt  safe,  and  joyfully  made  my  way  back  to  you  all." 

This  narrative  was  of  thrilling  interest  to  us,  proving  the 
existence  of  tribes  of  the  most  formidable  animals  beyond  the 
rocky  barrier  which  defended,  in  so  providential  a  manner,  the 
small  and  fertile  territory  on  which  our  lot  was  cast. 

During  the  absence  of  the  adventurer  we  had  been  busily 
engaged  in  making  preparations  for  our  departure — and  every- 
thing  was  packed  up  and  ready  by  the  morning  after  his  re- 
turn. 

After  some  hesitation  I  yielded  to  his  great  wish,  which 
was  to  return  by  sea  in  his  cajack  round  Cape  Disappointment, 
and  so  meet  us  at  Rockburg. 

He  was  much  interested  in  examining  the  outlines  of  the 
coast  and  the  rugged  precipices  of  the  Cape.  These  were 
tenanted  by  vast  flocks  of  sea  fowl  and  birds  of  prey  ;  while 
many  varieties  of  shrubs  and  plants,  hitherto  unknown  to  us, 
grew  in  the  clefts  and  crevices  of  the  rocks,  some  of  them  dif- 
fusing a  strong  aromatic  odor.  Among  the  specimens  he 
brought  I  recognized  the  caper  plant,  and,  with  still  greater 
pleasure,  a  shrub  which  was.  I  felt  sure,  the  tea-plant  of 


848  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  BOBIKSOW. 

China — it  bore  very  pretty  white  flowers,  and  the  leaves  re» 
sembled  myrtle. 

Our  land  journey  was  effected  without  accident  or  adven- 
ture of  any  kind. 

Jack,  mounted  as  usual  on  Hurry,  the  ostrich,  carried  the 
mysterious  wet  bag  very  carefully  slung  at  his  side,  and  when 
near  home  started  off  at  a  prodigious  rate  in  advance  of  us. 

He  let  fall  the  drawbridge,  and  we  saw  no  more  of  him 
until,  on  reaching  Rockburg,  he  appeared  leisurely  returning 
from  the  swamp,  where  apparently  he  had  gone  to  deposit  his 
"  moist  secret,"  as  Franz  called  it. 

"We  were  all  glad  to  take  up  our  quarters  once  more  in  oui 
large  and  convenient  dwelling,  and  my  first  business  was  to  pro- 
vide for  the  great  number  of  birds  we  now  had  on  our  hands, 
by  establishing  them  in  suitable  localities,  it  being  impossibla 
to  maintain  them  all  in  the  poultry  yard.  Some  were,  there- 
fore, taken  to  the  islands  ;  and  the  black  swans,  the  heron, 
the  graceful  demoiselle  cranes,  and  our  latest  acquisition,  the 
splendid  sultan  cock,  soon  became  perfectly  at  home  in  the 
swamp,  greatly  adding  to  the  interest  of  the  neighborhood  of 
Safety  Bay. 

The  old  bustards  were  the  tamest  of  all  our  feathered  pets, 
and  never  more  so  than  at  meal  times.  They  were  unfailing 
in  their  attendance  when  we  dined  or  supped  in  the  open  air. 

Toward  evening,  as  we  sat  in  the  veranda  listening  to 
Fritz's  account  of  his  trip  round  the  Cape,  an  extraordinary 
hollow,  roaring  noise  sounded  from  the  swamp  not  unlike  the 
angry  bellowing  of  a  bull. 

The  dogs  barked,  and  the  family  rose  in  excitement ;  but  I 
remarked  a  look  of  quiet  humor  in  Fritz's  eye,  as  he  stood 
leaning  against  one  of  the  veranda  pillars,  watching  Jack,  who, 
in  some  confusion,  started  off  toward  the  marsh. 

"  Come  back,  you  silly  boy  !  "  cried  his  mother  ;  "  the  child 
has  not  so  much  as  a  pistol,  and  is  rushing  off  alone  to  face  he 
knows  not  what !  " 

"  Perhaps,"  said  I,  looking  at  Fritz,  "  this  is  not  a  case  r^ 
quiring  the  use  of  firearms.  It  may  be  only  the  booming  o* 
a  bittern  which  we  hear." 

"  You  need  not  be  uneasy,  mother,"  said  Fritz  ; "  Jack  knows 
what  he  is  about;  only  this  charming  serenade  took  him  by  sur- 
prise, and  I  fancy  he  will  have  to  exhibit  his  treasures  before 
they  reach  perfection.  Yes,  here  he  comes  ! " 

Lugging  his  "  moist  secret "  along  with  him,  Jack,  flushed 
and  breathless,  came  up  to  us,  exclaiming  : 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  BOBINSOtf.  249 

''They  were  to  grow  as  big  as  rabbits  before  vow  saw  them  J 
a  shame !  I  never  thought  they  would  kick  up  a  row 
like  that.  Now  for  it !  " — and  he  turned  out  the  bag.  "  This 
is  *  Grace,'  and  this  is  '  Beauty.'  " 

Two  immense  frogs  rolled  clumsily  on  the  ground,  and  re- 
covering their  feet,  sat  squat  before  us,  swelling  and  puffing 
with  a  ludicrous  air  of  insulted  dignity,  while  peals  of  laughter 
greeted  them  on  all  sides. 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  these  are  two  very  handsome 
young  specimens  of  the  famous  African  bullfrog,  said  Jack, 
pretending  to  be  offended  at  the  mingled  disgust  and  amuse- 
ment occasioned  by  their  appearance ;  "  they  are  but  half* 
grown,  and  I  hoped  to  maintain  them  in  seclusion  until  they 
reached  full  size,  when  I  would  have  introduced  them  with 
proper  &lat.  But  since  their  talent  for  music  has  brought 
them  precociously  into  public  notice,  I  must  beg  for  your  kind 
and  indulgent  patronage,  and — leave  to  take  them  back  to  th« 
swamp ! " 

Great  clapping  of  hands  followed  Jack's  speech. 

"  Grace  "  and  "  Beauty "  were  examined,  and  commented 
on  with  much  interest,  and  voted  decidedly  handsome  "  ic 
their  way." 

Their  general  color  was  greenish  brown,  mottled  am? 
spotted  with  reddish  brown  and  yellow  ;  the  sides  green  and 
black  ;  the  under  part  yellow,  mottled  with  orange.  The  eyes 
were  positively  beautiful,  of  a  rich  chestnut  hue,  covered  with 
golden  white  dots,  which  shone  with  a  metallic  luster.  The 
skin  of  the  body  was  puckered  into  longitudinal  folds. 

By  general  consent  they  were  remanded  to  the  swamp. 

Shortly  after  our  return  to  Rockburg,  my  wife  drew  my 
attention  to  the  somewhat  neglected  state  of  our  dear  old 
summer  residence  at  Falconhurst,  begging  me  to  devote  some 
time  to  its  restoration  and  embellishment. 

This  I  most  willingly  undertook,  and  we  removed  thither 
as  soon  as  the  boys  had  completed  the  arrangement  of  the  ar- 
tificial salt-lick  to  their  satisfaction. 

At  Falconhurst  things  were  quickly  in  good  order,  and  we 
made  a  great  improvement  by  completing  the  broad  terrace 
supported  on  the  arching  roots  of  the  trees — it  was  better 
floored — and  rustic  pillars  and  trelliswork  sustained  a  bark 
roof  which  afforded  a  pleasant  shade. 

After  this  was  done,  I  was  compelled  to  consent  to  a  plan 
long  cherished  by  Fritz,  who  wished  to  construct  a  v/atoh- 
tower  and  mount  a  gun  on  Shark  Island.  After  great  exertion, 


250  THE    SWISS   FAMlJLY   ROBINSON. 

both  mental  and  bodily,  this  piece  of  military  engineering  was 
completed  ;  and  a  flagstaff  erected,  on  which  the  guard  at 
this  outpost  could  run  up  a  white  flag  to  signal  the  approach 
of  anything  harmless  from  the  sea,  while  a  red  flag  would  be 
shown  on  the  least  appearance  of  danger. 
I  To  celebrate  the  completion  of  this  great  work,  which  occu- 
pied us  during  two  months,  we  hoisted  the  white  flag,  and 
fired  a  salute  of  six  guns. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

Ten  years  afterward — Our  farms  and  farmyards — Fritz  makes  a 
voyage  of  discovery — Cape  Minster  and  the  swallows'  nests — Pearl 
oysters — A  magnificent  bay — The  strange  message — An  excursion  to 
Pearl  Bay — Fritz  proposes  to  search  for  the  stranger,  and  prepares 
his  canoe  for  her  reception — The  pearl  fishery— An  encounter  with  a 
wild  boar— Jack's  accident — Truffles — A  midnight  alarm — The  lion 
and  his  mate — Our  enemies  overcome — Juno's  death — We  set  sail 
for  Rockburg — Fritz  leaves  us. 

"  WE  spend  our  years  as  a  tale  that  is  told,"  said  King 
David. 

These  words  recurred  to  me  again  and  agam  as  I  reviewed 
ten  years,  of  which  the  story  lay  chronicled  in  the  pages  of 
my  journal. 

Year  followed  year ;  chapter  succeeded  chapter  ;  steadily, 
imperceptibly,  time  was  passing  away. 

The  shade  of  sadness  cast  on  my  mind  by  retrospect  of  this 
kind  was  dispelled  by  thoughts  full  of  gratitude  to  God,  for 
the  welfare  and  happiness  of  my  beloved  family  during  so  long 
a  period.  I  had  cause  especially  to  rejoice  in  seeing  our  sons 
advance  to  manhood,  strengthened  by  early  training  for  lives 
of  usefulness  and  activity  wherever  their  lot  might  fall. 
»  And  my  great  wish  is,  that  young  people  who  read  this 
record  of  our  lives  and  adventures  should  learn  from  it  how 
Admirably  suited  is  the  peaceful,  industrious,  and  pious  life  of 
a  cheerful,  united  family,  to  the  formation  of  strong,  pure,  and 
manly  character. 

None  take  a  better  place  in  the  great  national  family,  none 
are  happier  or  more  beloved  than  those  who  go  forth  from 
such  homes  to  fulfil  new  duties,  and  to  gather  fresh  interests 
around  them. 

Having  given  a  detailed  account  of  several  years'  residence 
in  New  Switzerland,  as  we  liked  to  call  our  dominion,  it  is 
needless  for  me  to  continue  what  would  exhaust  the  patience 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  851 

trf  trier  most  long-suffering,  by  repeating  monotonous  narratives 
of  exploring  parties  and  hunting  expeditions,  wearisome  de- 
scriptions of  awkward  inventions  and  clumsy  machines,  with 
an  endless  record  of  discoveries,  more  fit  for  the  pages  of  an 
encyclopedia  than  a  book  of  family  history. 

Yet  before  winding  up  with  the  concluding  events,  I  mav* 
mention  some  interesting  facts  illustrative  of  our  exaot  posi- 
tion at  the  time  these  took  place. 

Rockburg  and  Falconhurst  continued  to  be  our  winter  and 
Bummer  headquarters,  and  improvements  were  added  which 
made  them  more  and  more  convenient,  as  well  as  attractive  in 
appearance. 

The  fountains,  trellised  verandas,  and  plantations  round 
Rockburg,  completely  changed  the  character  of  the  residence 
which,  on  account  of  the  heat  and  want  of  vegetation,  had  in 
former  days  been  so  distasteful  to  my  wife.  Flowering 
creepers  overhung  the  balconies  and  pillars ;  while  shrubs  and 
trees,  both  native  and  European,  grew  luxuriantly  in  groves 
of  our  planting. 

In  the  distance,  Shark  Island,  now  clothed  with  graceful 
palms,  guarded  the  entrance  to  Safety  Bay,  the  battery  and 
flagstaff  prominently  visible  on  its  crested  rock. 

The  swamp,  cleared  and  drained,  was  now  a  considerable 
lake,  with  just  marsh  and  reeds  enough  beyond  it  to  form 
good  cover  for  the  waterfowl  whose  favorite  retreat  it  was. 

On  its  blue  waters  sailed  stately  black  swans,  snow-white 
geese,  and  richly  colored  ducks  ;  while  out  and  in  among  the 
water  plants  and  rushes  would  appear  at  intervals  glimpses  of 
the  brilliant  sultan,  marsh-fowl,  crimson  flamingos,  soft,  blue- 
gray,  demoiselle  cranes,  and  crested  heron,  all  associating  in 
Harmony,  and  with  no  fear  of  us,  their  masters. 

The  giant  frogs,  Grace  and  Beauty,  delighted  Jack  by  act- 
ually attaining  in  time  to  the  size  of  small  rabbits  ;  and,  per- 
fectly knowing  their  veiy  appropriate  names,  would  waddle 
lout  of  the  marsh  at  his  call,  to  eat  a  grasshopper  or  dainty  fly. 

Beneath  the  spreading  trees,  and  through  the  aromatic 
shrubberies,  old  Hurry,  the  ostrich,  was  usually  to  be  seen 
marching  about,  with  grave  and  dignified  pace,  as  though 
monarch  of  all  he  surveyed.  Every  variety  of  beautiful  pig- 
eon nested  in  the  rocks  and  dovecots,  their  soft  cooing  and 
glossy  plumage  making  them  favorite  household  pets. 

By  the  bridge  alone  could  Rockburg  be  approached  ;  for 
higher  up  the  river,  where,  near  the  cascade,  it  was  fordable 
a  dense  and  impenetrable  thicket  of  orange  and  lemon  trees, 


862  THB   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSO1T. 

Indian  figs,  prickly  pears,  and  all  manner  of  thorn-bearing 
shrubs,  planted  by  ns,  now  formed  a  complete  barrier. 

The  rabbit  warren  on  Shark  Island  kept  us  well  supplied 
with  food,  as  well  as  soft  and  useful  fur  ;  and,  as  the  antelopes 
did  not  thrive  on  Whale  Isle,  they  also  were  placed  among  the 
shady  groves  with  the  rabbits,  and  their  own  island  devoted 
to  such  work  as  candle-making,  tanning,  wool-cleaning,  and 
any  other  needful  but  offensive  operations. 

The  farm  at  Woodlands  flourished,  and  our  flocks  and  herds 
supplied  us  with  mutton,  beef,  and  veal,  while  my  wife's  dairy 
was  almost  more  than  she  could  manage. 

My  boys  retained  their  old  love  for  giving  names  to  the  an* 
imals.  They  had  a  beautiful  creamy-white  cow  called  Blanche, 
and  a  bull  with  such  a  tremendous  voice,  that  he  received  the 
name  of  Stentor.  Two  fleet  young  onagers  were  named  Arrow 
and  Dart ;  and  Jack  had  a  descendant  of  his  old  favorite 
Fangs,  the  jackal,  which  he  chose  to  call  Coco,  asserting  that 
RO  word  could  be  distinguished  at  a  distance  without  the  let- 
ter "  o  "  in  it,  giving  illustrations  of  his  theory  till  our  ears 
were  almost  deafened. 

Excellent  health  had  been  enjoyed  by  us  all  during  these 
ten  years,  though  my  wife  occasionally  suffered  from  slight 
attacks  of  fever,  and  the  boys  sometimes  met  with  little  acci- 
dents. 

They  were  all  fine,  handsome  fellows  ;  Fritz,  now  twenty- 
four,  was  of  moderate  height,  uncommonly  strong,  active, 
muscular,  and  high-spirited. 

Ernest,  two  years  younger,  was  tall  and  slight ;  in  disposi- 
tion, mild,  calm,  and  studious ;  his  early  faults  of  indolence 
and  selfishness  were  almost  entirely  overcome.  He  possessed 
refined  tastes  and  great  intellectual  power. 

Jack,  at  twenty,  strongly  resembled  Fritz,  being  about  his 
height,  though  more  lightly  built,  and  remarkable  rather  for 
active  grace  and  agility  than  for  muscular  strength. 

Frauz,  a  lively  youth  of  seventeen,  had  some  of  the  qualities 
of  each  of  his  brothers  ;  he  possessed  wit  and  shrewdness,  but 
not  the  arch  drollery  of  Jack. 

All  were  honorable,  God-fearing  young  men,  dutiful  and 
affectionate  to  their  mother  and  myself,  and  warmly  attached 
to  each  other. 

Although  so  many  years  had  elapsed  in  total  seclusion,  it 
continued  to  be  my  strong  impression  that  we  should  one  day 
be  restored  to  the  society  of  our  fellow-men. 

But  time,  which  was  bringing  our  sons  to  manhood,  was 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  353 

also  carrying  their  parents  onward  to  old  age  ;  and  anxious, 
gloomy  thoughts  relating  to  their  future,  should  they  be  left 
indeed  alone,  sometimes  oppressed  my  heart. 

On  such  occasions,  I  would  not  communicate  the  sense  of 
depression  to  my  family,  but,  turning  in  prayer  to  the  Al- 
mighty Father,  laid  my  trouble  before  Him,  with  never-fail- 
ing renewal  of  strength  and  hope.  \ 
My  elder  sons  often  made  expeditions  of  which  we  knew 
nothing  until  their  return  after  many  hours  ;  when  any  uneas- 
iness I  might  have  felt  was  dissipated  by  their  joyous  appear- 
ance, and  reproof  always  died  away  on  my  lips. 

Fritz  had  been  absent  one  whole  day  from  Rockburg,  and 
not  until  evening  did  we  remark  that  his  cajack  was  gone,  and 
that  he  must  be  out  at  sea. 

Anxious  to  see  him  return  before  nightfall,  I  went  off  to 
Shark  Island  with  Ernest  and  Jack,  in  order  to  look  out  for 
him  from  the  watch  tower  there,  at  the  same  time  hoisting  our 
signal  flag,  and  loading  the  gun. 

Long  we  gazed  across  the  expanse  of  ocean  glittering  in  the 
level  beams  of  the  setting  sun,  and  finally  discerned  a  small 
black  speck  in  the  distance  which,  by  the  telescope,  waa 
proved  to  be  the  returning  wanderer. 

I  remarked  that  his  skiff  sailed  ai  a  slower  rate  than  usual 
toward  the  shore.  The  cannon  was  fired  to  let  him  know  that 
his  approach  was  observed,  and  then  we  joyfully  hurried  back 
to  receive  him  at  the  harbor. 

It  was  easy  to  see,  as  he  drew  near,  what  had  delayed  his 
progress.  The  cajack  towed  a  large  sack,  besides  being  heav- 
ily laden. 

"  "Welcome,  Fritz  !  "  I  cried.  "  Welcome  back,  wherever 
you  come  from,  and  whatever  you  bring.  You  seem  to  have 
quite  a  cargo  there  ! " 

"  Yes,  and  my  trip  has  led  to  discoveries  as  well  as  booty," 
answered  he  ;  "  interesting  discoveries  which  will  tempt  us 
again  in  the  same  direction.  Come,  boys,  let's  carry  up  the' 
things,  and  while  I  rest  I  will  relate  my  adventures." 
As  soon  as  possible  all  assembled  round  him. 
"  I  think  my  absence  without  leave  deserves  reproach  in- 
stead of  this  warm  reception,  father,  and  I  must  apologize  for 
it,"  he  began.  "  But  ever  since  I  possessed  the  cajack  it  baa 
been  my  ambition  to  make  a  voyage  of  discovery  along  the 
coast,  which  we  have  never  explored  beyond  the  point  at 
which  I  killed  the  walrus. 

"  In  order  to  be  ready  to  start  without  delay  when  a  coo* 


254  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

venient  opportunity  offered,  I  made  preparations  beforehand, 
such  as  provisioning  my  skiff,  fixing  the  compass  in  front  of 
my  seat,  arranging  conveniently  rifle,  harpoon,  ax,  boat- 
hook,  and  fishing  net.  I  also  resolved  to  take  with  me 
Pounce,  my  eagle,  and  this  I  always  will  do  in  future. 

"  This  morning  dawned  magnificently ;  the  calm  sea,  the 
gentle  breeze,  all  drew  me  irresistibly  to  the  fulfilment  of  my 
purpose. 

t  "I  left  the  harbor  unperceived,  the  current  quickly  bore 
me  out  to  sea,  and  I  rounded  the  point  to  the  left,rpassing  just 
over  the  spot  where,  beneath  the  waves,  lie  the  guns,  cannon 
balls,  ironwork,  and  all  that  was  indestructible  about  our  good 
old  wreck.  And  would  you  believe  it  ?  Through  the  glassy 
clear  water,  undisturbed  by  a  ripple,  I  actually  saw  many 
such  things  strewn  on  the  flat  rocky  bottom. 

"Pursuing  my  way,  I  passed  among  rugged  cliffs  and  rocks 
which  jutted  out  from  the  shore,  or  rose  in  rugged  masses 
from  the  water.  Myriads  of  sea  fowl  inhabited  the  most  in» 
accessible  of  these,  while  on  the  lower  ridges,  seals,  sea  bears, 
and  walruses  were  to  be  seen,  some  basking  lazily  in  the  sun, 
some  plunging  into  the  water,  or  emerging  awkwardly  from 
it,  hoisting  their  unwieldy  bodies  up  the  rocks  by  means  of 
their  tusks. 

"  I  must  confess  to  feeling  anything  but  comfortable  while 
going  through  the  places  held  in  possession  by  these  monsters 
of  the  deep,  and  used  every  effort  to  pass  quickly  and  un- 
noticed. Yet  it  was  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half  before  I 
got  clear  of  the  rocks,  cliffs,  and  shoals  to  which  they  re- 
sorted, and  neared  a  high  and  precipitous  cape,  running  far 
Dut  to  sea.  Right  opposite  to  me,  in  the  side  of  this  rocky 
wall,  was  a  magnificent  archway,  forming,  as  it  first  appeared 
to  me,  a  lofty  entrance  to  an  immense  vaulted  cavern.  I 
passed  beneath  this  noble  portal  and  examined  the  interior. 
It  was  tenanted  by  numbers  of  a  small  species  of  swallow, 
scarcely  larger  then  a  wren,  and  the  walls  were  covered  by 
thousands  of  their  nests.  They  were  rudely  built,  and  their 
peculiarity  was  that  each  rested  on  a  kind  of  platform,  some- 
thing like  a  spoon  without  the  handle.  I  detached  a  number, 
and  found  that  they  had  a  curious  appearance,  seemingly 
made  of  something  fibrous  and  gelatinous,  and  more  like  a  set 
of  sponges,  corals,  or  fungi,  than  nests  of  birds.  I  have 
brought  them  home  in  my  fishing  net." 

"  If  we  had  commercial  dealings  with  the  Chinese,"  said  I, 
wyour  discovery  would  b«  of  value  j  these  are  doubtless  edible 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  259 

nests.  The  bird  is  called  the  esculent  swallow,  and  the 
trade  in  this  strange  article  of  diet  is  a  very  large  one.  The 
nests  are  of  different  value,  but  those  which  are  quite  new, 
and  nearly  white,  are  held  in  such  esteem  that  they  are  worth 
their  weight  in  silver. 

"  There  are  tremendous  caverns  in  Java  and  other  places 
where,  at  great  risk,  these  nests  are  procured  ;  the  annual 
weight  obtained  being  upward  of  fifty  thousand  pounds,  and 
fche  value  more  than  £200,000. 

"  When  placed  in  water  and  well  soaked,  they  soften  and 
swell,  and  are  made  into  soup  of  very  strengthening  and  re- 
storative quality. 

"  I  think  you  might  try  your  hand  on  these,  mother,  just 
for  curiosity's  sake." 

"I  can't  say  I  fancy  the  look  of  the  queer  things,"  said  she, 
"  but  I  don't  mind  trying  if  they  will  turn  to  jelly  ;  though 
boiling  birds'  nests  is  cookery  quite  out  of  my  line." 

"  Oh,  do,  mother ;  let  us  taste  birds'  nests  as  soon  as  yon 
can,  though  the  idea  makes  me  fancy  my  mouth  full  of 
feathers  !  "  laughed  Jack. 

"It  is  really  a  most  curious  formation," said  Fritz.  "From 
whence  are  the  swallows  supposed  to  get  this  kind  of  gela- 
tine?" 

"It  has  never  been  exactly  ascertained,"  I  replied, 
"whether  the  birds  discover  or  produce  this  curious  sub- 
stance. But  whatever  may  be  its  basis,  it  is  clear  that  a 
very  large  portion  of  it  is  furnished  by  certain  glands,  which 
pour  out  a  viscid  secretion." 

"  After  laying  in  my  store  of  nests,"  continued  Fritz,  "  I 
pursued  my  way  through  this  vaulted  cave  or  corridor ; 
which,  presently  turning,  opened  into  a  very  lonely  bay,  so 
calm  and  lake-like,  that,  although  of  considerable  size,  I  con- 
cluded at  once  it  must  be  nearly  land  locked.  Its  shores,  be- 
yond the  rocky  boundary  through  which  I  penetrated,  ex- 
tended in  a  fertile  plain  toward  what  seemed  the  mouth  of  a 
river,  beyond  which  5ay  rough,  and  probably  marshy,  ground, 
and  a  dense  forest  of  cedars,  which  closed  the  view. 

"  The  water  beneath  me  was  clear  as  crystal ;  and,  gazing 
into  its  depths  and  shallows,  I  perceived  beds  of  shell-fish, 
like  large  oysters,  attached  to  the  rocks  and  to  each  other  by 
tufts  of  hairy  filaments. 

" '  If  these  are  oysters,'  thought  I,  *  they  must  be  better 
worth  eating,  as  far  as  size  goes,  than  our  little  friends  in 
Safetv  Bay,'  and  thereupon  I  hooked  up  several  clusters  with 


256  THE    SWISS    FAMILY    ROBINSON. 

my  boat-hook,  and  landing  soon  after  on  the  beach,  I  flung 
them  on  the  sand,  resolving  to  fetch  another  load,  and  then 
tow  them  after  me  in  the  fishing-net. 

"  The  hot  sun  disagreed  with  their  constitution,  I  suppose  ; 
for  when  I  came  back  the  shells  were  all  gaping  wide  open  ; 
so  I  began  to  examine  them,  thinking  that  after  all  they  were 
probably  much  less  delicate  than  the  small  oysters  we  have 
learnt  to  like  so  much. 

"  Somehow,  when  a  thing  is  to  be '  examined,'  one  generally 
needs  a  knife.  The  blade  met  with  resistance  here  and  there 
in  the  creature's  body  ;  and  still  closer '  examination '  produced 
from  it  several  pearly  balls  like  peas,  of  different  sizes.  Do 
you  think  they  can  be  pearls  ?  I  have  a  number  here  in  a  box." 

"  Oh,  show  them  to  us,  Fritz  !  "  cried  the  boys.  "  What 
pretty  shining  things  !  and  how  delicately  rounded,  and  how 
aoftly  they  gleam  !  " 

"  You  have  discovered  treasure,  indeed  ! "  I  exclaimed; "  why 
these  are  most  beautiful  pearls !  Valueless,  certainly,  under 
present  circumstances  ;  but  they  may  prove  a  source  of 
wealth,  should  we  ever  again  come  into  contact  with  the 
civilized  world.  We  must  visit  your  pearl-oyster  beds  at  the 
earliest  opportunity." 

"  After  resting  for  some  time,  and  refreshing  myself  with 
food,"  pursued  Fritz,  "  I  resumed  my  survey  of  the  coast,  my 
progress  somewhat  impeded  by  the  bag  of  shell-fish,  which  I 
drew  after  me  ;  but  I  proceeded  without  accident  past  the 
mouth  of  the  stream  to  the  further  side  of  the  bay,  which  was 
there  inclosed  by  a  point  corresponding  to  that  through  whick 
I  had  entered  ;  and  between  these  headlands  I  found  a  line  of 
reefs  and  sandbanks,  with  but  a  single  channel  leading  out  to 
the  open  sea  ;  from  which,  therefore,  Pearl  Bay,  as  I  named 
it,  lies  completely  sheltered. 

"  The  tide  was  setting  strongly  in  shore,  so  that  I  could 
not  then  attempt  a  passage  through  it,  but  examined  the  crags 
of  the  headland,  thinking  I  might  perchance  discover  a  second 
vaulted  archway.  I  saw  nothing  remarkable,  however,  but 
thousands  of  sea  fowl  of  every  sort  and  kind,  from  the  gull 
and  sea  swallow  to  the  mighty  albatross. 

"  My  approach  was  evidently  regarded  as  an  invasion  and 
trespass  ;  for  they  regularly  beset  me,  screaming  and  wheel- 
ing over  my  head,  tfll,  out  of  all  patience,  I  stood  up,  and  hit 
furiously  about  me  with  the  boat-hook  ;  when,  rather  to  my 
surprise,  one  blow  struck  an  albatross  with  each  force,  that  hie 
fell  stunned  into  the  water 


THK   SWISS  FAMILY  BOBTNSO3T.  287 

**  I  now  once  more  attempted  to  cross  the  reef  by  the  nar- 
row channel,  and  happily  succeeding,  found  myself  in  the 
open  sea,  and  speeding  homeward,  joyfully  saw  our  flag  flying-, 
and  heard  the  welcome  salute  you  fired." 

Here  ended  the  narrative  ;  but  next  morning  Fritz  drew  me 
aside,  and  confided  to  me  a  most  remarkable  sequel,  in  these 
words  : 

"There  was  something  very  extraordinary  about  that 
albatross,  father.  I  allowed  you  to  suppose  that  I  left  it  as  it 
fell,  but  in  reality  I  raised  it  to  the  deck  of  the  canoe,  and 
then  perceived  a  piece  of  rag  wound  round  one  of  its  legs. 
This  I  removed,  and,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  saw  English 
words  written  on  it,  which  I  plainly  made  out  to  be :  '  Save 
an  unfortunate  Englishwoman  from  the  smoking  rock !  * 

"  This  little  sentence  sent  a  thrill  through  every  nerve  :  my 
brain  seemed  to  whirl.  I  doubted  the  evidence  of  my  senses. 

"  '  Is  this  reality,  or  delusion  ? '  thought  I.  *  Can  it  be  true, 
that  a  fellow-creature  breathes  with  us  the  air  of  this  lonely 
region  ? ' 

"  I  felt  stnpified  for  some  minutes  :  the  bird  began  to  show 
signs  of  life,  which  recalled  me  to  myself  ;  and,  quickly  decid- 
ing what  must  be  done,  I  tore  a  strip  from  my  handkerchief, 
on  which  I  traced  the  words — *  Do  not  despair !  Help  is 
near ! ' 

"  This  I  carefully  bound  round  one  leg,  replacing  the  rag 
on  the  other,  and  then  applied  myself  to  the  complete  restor- 
ation of  the  bird.  It  gradually  revived  ;  and  after  drinking 
a  little,  surprised  me  by  suddenly  rising  on  the  wing,  faltering 
a  moment  in  its  flight,  and  then  rapidly  disappearing  from  my 
view  in  a  westerly  direction. 

"  Now,  father,  one  thought  occupies  me  continually  :  will 
my  note  ever  reach  this  Englishwoman  ?  Shall  I  be  able  to 
find,  and  to  save  her  ?  " 

I  listened  to  this  account  with  feelings  of  the  liveliest 
interest  and  astonishment.  j 

"  My  dear  son,"  said  I,  "  you  have  done  wisely  in  confiding1 
to  me  alone  your  most  exciting  discovery.  Unless  we  know 
more,  we  must  not  unsettle  the  others  by  speaking  of  it ;  for 
it  appears  to  me  quite  possible  that  these  words  were  penned 
long  ago  on  some  distant  shore,  where,  by  this  time,  the 
unhappy  stranger  may  have  perished  miserably.  By  the 
*  smoking  rock '  must  be  meant  a  volcano.  There  are  none 
here." 

Fritz  was  not  disposed  to  look  at  the  case  from  this  gloom/ 


358  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON1. 

point  of  view  ;  did  not  think  the  rag  so  very  old  ;  believed 
smoke  might  rise  from  a  rock  which  was  not  volcanic  ;  and 
evidently  cherished  the  hope  that  he  might  be  able  to  respond 
effectually  to  this  touching  appeal. 

I  was  in  reality  as  anxious  as  himself  on  the  subject,  but 
judged  it  prudent  to  abate  rather  than  excii-e  hopes  of  success 
which  might  be  doomed  to  bitter  disappointment. 

After  earnest  consultation  on  the  subject,  we  decided  that 
frritz  should  go  in  search  of  the  writer  of  the  message,  but 
not  until  he  had  so  altered  the  canoe  as  to  fit  it  for  carrying 
two  persons,  as  well  as  provisions  sufficient  to  admit  of  his 
absence  for  a  considerable  time.  Impatient  as  he  was,  he  could 
not  but  see  the  wisdom  of  this  delay. 

We  returned  to  the  house,  and  saw  the  boys  busily  opening 
the  oysters,  which  they  had  had  no  time  to  do  the  previous  night, 
and  greatly  excited  as  ever  and  anon  a  pearl  was  found. 

"  May  we  not  establish  a  pearl  fishery  at  once,  father  ?  " 
shouted  they.  "  We  might  build  a  hut  on  the  shore  of  the 
bay,  and  set  about  it  regularly." 

An  excursion  to  Pearl  Bay  was  now  the  event  to  which  all 
thoughts  turned,  and  for  which  preparations  on  a  grand  scale 
were  made.  It  was  to  form,  as  it  were  the  basis  of  the  more 
important  voyage  Fritz  had  in  view,  and  to  which,  unsuspected 
by  the  rest,  he  could  devote  all  his  attention. 

I  took  an  opportunity,  one  day,  when  all  were  present,  to 
remark  in  a  serious  tone : 

"  I  have  been  considering,  dear  wife,  that  our  eldest  son  is 
now  of  an  age  to  be  dependent  on  himself.  I  shall,  therefore, 
henceforth  leave  him  at  liberty  to  act  in  all  respects  according 
to  his  own  judgment ;  and,  especially  in  the  matter  of  voyages 
or  excursions,  he  must  not  be  hampered  by  the  fear  of  alarm- 
ing us  should  he  choose  to  remain  absent  longer  than  we 
expect.  I  have  such  entire  confidence  in  his  prudence,  and 
at  the  same  time  in  his  affection  for  us,  that  I  am  certain  he 
Will  never  needlessly  cause  us  anxiety." 

Fritz  looked  gratefully  toward  me  as  I  spoke  ;  and  his 
mother  ratified  my  words,  embracing  him  effectionately,  and 
eaying,  with  emotion,  "God  bless  and  preserve  thee,  my 
boy  ! » 

It  took  some  time  to  make  several  raking  or  scraping 
machines,  which  I  invented  for  the  purpose  of  detaching  and 
lifting  the  oysters  from  their  native  rocks  ;  but  that  gave 
Fritz  leisure  to  change  the  fittings  of  his  canoe,  so  as  to  hav« 
a  spare  seat  in  it. 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON.  259 

His  brothers  naturally  concluded  he  meant  to  take  one  of 
them  as  shipmate  on  board,  and  he  allowed  the  mistake  to 
continue.  They  occupied  themselves  in  making  various 
articles  they  expected  to  be  of  use,  and  bore  the  delay  with 
tolerable  patience. 

At  last  came  the  day,  when,  taking  leave  of  the  mother 
and  Franz,  we  went  on  board  the  yacht,  accompanied  by 
some  of  the  dogs  ;  while  Jack,  proudly  occupying  the  new 
seat  beside  Fritz  in  the  canoe,  shared  with  him  the  honor  of 
leading  the  way  in  the  character  of  pilots. 

We  passed  safely  through  the  rocks  and  shoals  near  Walrus 
Island  into  an  expanse  of  calm  water,  sheltered  by  jutting 
cliffs,  where  the  sea  glanced  like  a  mirror,  and  for  the  first 
time  we  observed  the  fairy-like  shells  of  the  paper-nautilus 
sailing  lightly  over  the  dazzling  surface. 

It  was  impossible  to  see  these  lovely  seafarers  without 
wishing  to  obtain  specimens  ;  and  the  canoe  accordingly  gave 
chase;  presently  securing  half  a  dozen,  which  were  handed  to 
us  in  the  yacht  to  be  carefully  preserved  for  the  museum,  and 
the  place  was  ever  after  called  Nautilus  Creek. 

Further  on  we  rounded  a  short  promontory,  flat,  with  an 
abrupt  rock  at  the  extremity,  to  which  we  gave  the  name  of 
Cape  Pag-Nose  ;  and  then,  at  some  distance,  appeared  the 
grand  cliffs  of  a  headland  running  far  out  to  sea. 

This  I  suppose  we  should  have  to  weather,  but  my  pilots 
made  no  change  in  our  course,  and,  following  the  canoe,  we 
soon  came  in  sight  of  the  majestic  archway  which  offered  us 
a  short  passage  to  Pearl  Bay. 

The  wonderfully  architectural  appearance  of  the  pillars, 
arches,  and  pinnacles,  surrounding  and  surmounting  this  noble 
entrance,  struck  me  with  admiration,  resembling  parts  of  a 
fine  gothic  cathedral,  and  inducing  me  to  propose  for  it  the 
name,  Cape  Minster. 

'  A  perfect  cloud  of  little  swallows  darted  from  the  cavernous 
entrance  on  our  approach,  divided  into  flocks,  soared,  wheeled, 
flew  right  and  left,  and  finally  returned  in  a  body  as  swiftly 
as  they  came,  to  the  sides  of  the  long  dark  tunnel,  which  were 
festooned  with  their  nests. 

We  detached  a  number  of  these  as  we  passed,  taking  care 
to  leave  those  containing  eggs  of  young.  The  best  were  at  a 
considerable  height,  but  the  broken  and  shelving  rocks  afforded, 
in  some  places,  footing  for  such  daring  and  active  climbers  as 
Fritz  and  Jack,  and  thef  quickly  obtained  as  many  as  we 
cou*a  possibly  require^ 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

Our  progress  was  much  assisted  by  the  tide,  which,  like  A 
current,  bore  us  onward  along  the  nave  of  this  natural  cathe- 
dral ;  aisles,  transepts,  screens,  and  side-chapels  appearing  be- 
tween the  columns  and  arches  which  in  the  "  dim  religious 
light"  were  revealed  to  our  wondering  eyes. 

On  emerging  into  the  dazzling  sunshine,  we  found  our- 
selves floating  in  the  calm  expanse  of  Pearl  Bay  ;  but  it  was 
some  minutes  before  we  could  look  around  on  the  bright  and 
Vovely  scene. 

Fritz  had  not  over-rated  its  beauty,  and  the  romantic  islets 
which  studded  its  waters  seemed  to  give  the  effect  ot  a  pleas- 
ant smile  to  features  already  perfect. 

We  cruised  about  for  some  time,  surveying  the  coast  with 
its  fertile  meadows,  shady  groves,  gently  swelling  hills,  and 
murmuring  brooks,  seeking  a  convenient  landing  place  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  shallows  where  lay  the  oyster-beds. 

This  we  found,  close  to  a  sparkling  streamlet ;  and,  as  the 
iay  was  fast  declining,  we  made  speedy  arrangements  for 
burning  a  watch-fire  ;  after  which  we  partook  of  a  hasty  sup. 
per,  and  leaving  the  dogs,  with  Coco,  the  jackal,  to  sleep  on 
shore,  we  returned  on  board  the  yacht  for  the  night,  anchoring 
within  gunshot  of  the  hind. 

The  coast  being  quite  strange  to  us,  I  knew  not  what  wild 
beasts  might  frequent  it ;  but,  though  I  did  not  fear  that  any 
would  approach  us  by  swimming,  yet  I  was  glad  to  have  with 
us  our  lively  little  ape,  Mercury  (the  successor  of  our  old 
favorite,  Knips,  long  since  gathered  to  his  fathers),  for  he  oc- 
cupied at  night  a  cosy  berth  on  deck,  and  was  certain  to  give 
vociferous  notice  should  anything  alarming  occur. 

Fritz  moored  the  cajack  alongside,  and  came  on  board. 
The  night  passed  in  peace,  although  for  a  time  we  were  dis- 
turbed by  the  yelping  of  jackals,  with  whom  Coco  persisted 
in  keeping  up  a  noisy  conversation. 

We  awoke  at  daybreak,  and  after  breakfasting  d  la  four* 
chette,  we  repaired  in  haste  with  nets,  scrapers,  and  all  other 
requisites,  to  the  oyster-beds,  where  we  worked  with  such 
diligence  and  success  that  in  the  course  of  two  days  we  had  an 
immense  pile  of  shells  built  up  like  a  stack  on  the  beach,  and 
left  to  decay. 

I  collected  a  quantity  of  sea-weed  to  spread  over  them, 
which  was  afterward  burnt  to  make  alkali,  when  we  re- 
turned to  secure  our  harvest  of  pearls. 

Eveiy  evening  we  went  out  shootiug  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  kept  ourselves  supplied  with  game  of  one  sort  or  another, 


XB3  SWISS  ff&flST  BOBtSaoSfc  Ml 


The  last  day  of  our  fishery  we  started  earlier,  intending  to 
make  a  longer  excursion  into  the  woods. 

Ernest  set  off  first  with  Floss  ;  Jack  and  Coco  strolling 
after  them.  Fritz  and  I  were  still  employed  in  taking  on 
board  the  last  load  of  our  tools,  when  we  suddenly  heard  a 
shot,  a  loud  cry  of  pain  or  fear,  and  then  another  shot. 

At  the  first  alarm,  the  other  two  dogs  rushed  away  from  us 
toward  the  spot,  and  Fritz,  who  had  just  called  Pounce  from 
his  perch,  to  accompany  us  in  the  ramble,  let  him  fly,  and 
seizing  his  rifle  darted  off  in  the  same  direction. 

Before  I  could  reach  the  scene  of  action,  more  shots  were 
heard,  and  then  a  shout  of  victory  ;  after  which  appeared 
through  the  stems  of  the  trees  the  disconsolate  figure  of  Jack, 
hobbling  along  like  a  cripple,  supported  on  each  side  by  his 
brothers. 

When  they  came  near  me  they  stopped  ;  and  poor  Jack 
moaning  and  groaning,  began  to  feel  himself  all  over,  as  if  to 
search  for  broken  bones,  crying  out  : 

"  I'm  pounded  like  a  half  -crushed  pepper-oorn  1  " 

On  examination  I  found  some  severe  bruises. 

"  Who  or  what  has  been  pommeling  the  boy  ?  "  I  ex- 
claimed ;  "  one  would  think  he  had  been  beaten." 

"  It  was  a  hage  wild  boar,"  said  Ernest,  "  with  fierce  eyea^ 
monstrous  tusks,  and  a  snout  as  broad  as  my  hand." 

We  took  Jack  down  to  the  yacht,  bathed  his  bruises,  gave 
him  a  cooling  drink,  and  he  soon  fell  fast  asleep  in  bis  berth, 
where  I  left  him  and  returned  to  the  shore. 

"  Now,  Ernest,"  said  I,  "  enlighten  me  on  the  subject  of  thia 
adventure  !  What  you  and  the  boar  did,  is  quite  a  mystery 
to  me." 

"  Floss  and  I  were  going  quietly  along,"  replied  be,  "  when 
suddenly  there  was  a  rustling  and  snorting  close  by,  and  a 
great  boar  broke  through  the  bushes,  making  for  the  outskirts 
of  the  wood.  Floss  gave  chase  directly,  and  the  boar  turned 
to  bay.  Then  up  came  Jack  with  Coco,  and  the  gallant  little 
jackal  attacked  the  monster  in  the  rear.  In  another  moment, 
however,  he  was  sent  sprawling  upon  his  back,  and  this  so 
provoked  his  master  that  he  fired  a  hasty  ill-directed  shot. 
The  brute's  notice  and  fury  at  once  turned  upon  Jack,  who 
prudently  took  to  his  heels,  when  I  attempted  to  check  the 
career  of  the  boar  by  a  shot,  which,  however,  only  slightly 
wounded  it.  Jack  stumbled  and  fell  over  the  root  of  a  tree, 
Just  as  the  animal  came  up  with  him.  *  Help  !  murder,' 
shouted  he  :  and  if  the  other  dogs  had  not  then  arrived,  and 


JW9  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

all  together  tackled  the  boar,  I  fear  it  would  have  been  a  case 
of  murder  indeed  !  as  it  was,  the  poor  fellow  got  mauled  and 
trampled  upon  dreadfully. 

"  As  I  was  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  fire  without  any 
risk  of  hitting  Jack,  Pounce  rushed  through  the  air  and  darted 
npon  the  beast,  and  Fritz  came  up  quickly  and  shot  it  dead 
with  a  pistol. 

"  While  we  were  helping  Jack  along,  and  passing  a  place 
'where  the  boar  had  been  grubbing,  I  noticed  some  such  curi- 
ous knotty  roots  or  tubercles,  that  I  brought  away  specimens. 
Are  they  worth  anything,  do  you  think  ?  they  have  a  strong 
smell." 

"If  I  may  trust  my  nose,"  said  I,  "you  have  brought 
something  by  no  means  to  be  despised.  Yes  !  "  I  continued, 
putting  them  to  my  lips,  "  these  are  very  fine  truflles  !  Taste 
them,  Fritz." 

"Indeed,  they  are  excellent,"  said  he  ;  "very  different  from 
the  tough,  leathery  things  I  remember  in  Europe  ;  these  arc 
tender  and  well  flavored." 

"Because  they  are  fresh,"  said  I.  "  You  have  before  tasted 
those  only  which  have  been  brought  from  a  distance.  They 
are  found  in  different  parts  of  Europe,  buried  at  a  depth  of 
ten  or  twelve  inches  in  the  soil  of  oak  or  beech  woods.  A 
small  dog  is  employed  to  hunt  for  them,  who  perceives  their 
musky  odor  in  a  singularly  acute  way,  and  at  once  scratches 
at  the  spot  where  they  lie." 

"Have  the  truffles  no  leaves  or  stalks,"  inquired  Fritz,  "by 
which  they  might  be  found  without  the  help  'of  the  dog  ?  " 

"They  have  nothing  of  the  sort,"  I  replied  ;  "  they  are  dis- 
covered simply  by  scent,  and  are  considered  to  belong  to  the 
tribe  of  Fungi." 

By  this  time  it  was  late  ;  we  took  supper,  made  up  the 
Watch-fire,  and  withdrew  to  our  yacht,  where  we  slept  peace- 
fully. 

Early  next  morning  we  proceeded  to  visit  the  field  of  battle. 
The  wild  boar,  which  I  had  not  before  seen,  proved  to  be 
much  larger  and  more  formidable  in  appearance  than  I  had 
jmagined,  and  Jack's  escape  seemed  to  me  perfectly  marvelous. 

The  boys  took  it  as  a  matter  of  course  that  we  were  to  cut 
out  hams  and  flitches  ;  and  we  therefore  did  so,  though  I 
warned  them  that  they  need  not  expect  much  pleasure  in  eat- 
ing bacon  from  a  tough  old  African  boar  like  this.  We  con- 
veyed the  mighty  hams  to  the  beach,  each  on  a  sledge  of 
plaited  boughs  and  twigs,  and  drawn  by  one  of  the  dogs. 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  268 

The  monstrous  head  traveled  in  the  same  way,  and  w« 
collected  a  large  number  of  truffles  before  quitting  the 
forest. 

As  soon  as  the  dogs  were  released,  they  rushed  back  to  the 
scene  of  operations  in  the  wood,  comprehending  that  they 
were  now  free  to  feast  on  what  remained  there. 

There  was  so  much  to  be  done  in  consequence  of  this  affair 
that  Fritz,  who  had  hoped  to  set  out  on  his  solitary  expedition 
that  day,  deferred  it  until  the  next ;  and  was,  therefore,  for 
tunately  with  us,  when  late  in  the  evening  we  desisted  fron? 
our  labors,  and,  having  supped,  were  preparing  to  retire  to  rest. 

All  at  once  a  deep,  fearful  sound  echoed  through  the  neigh- 
boring  woods.  It  made  our  blood  curdle  in  our  veins.  We 
listened  with  straining  ears,  hoping  it  would  not  be  repeated. 
With  a  shudder  we  heard  the  dread  voice  roar  again,  yet 
nearer  to  us,  and  an  answer  peal  from  the  distance. 

"We  must  find  out  who  are  the  performers  in  this  con- 
cert ! "  exclaimed  Fritz,  springing  to  his  feet  and  snatching  up 
his  rifle.  "  Make  the  fire  blaze  ;  get  on  board  the  yacht,  and 
have  all  the  guns  in  readiness.  I  am  off  to  reconnoiter  in  the 
canoe." 

We  mechanically  obeyed  his  rapid  orders,  while  the  bold 
youth  disappeared  in  the  darkness  ;  and,  after  heaping  fuel  on 
the  fire,  we  went  on  board  and  armed  ourselves  with  cutlasses, 
besides  loading  all  the  guns,  waiting  in  readiness  either  to  land 
again  or  to  quit  the  coast. 

We  presently  saw  the  whole  pack  of  our  dogs,  as  well  as 
Coco,  the  jackal,  and  the  little  ape,  Mercury  (who  had  been 
tempted  by  the  truffles  to  stay  with  them  in  the  woods),  come 
galloping  at  full  speed  up  to  the  fire. 

Mercury  was  evidently  excessively  discomposed  at  finding 
us  gone  ;  he  gnashed  his  teeth,  and  chattered,  as  though  in 
fear,  looking  hopelessly  at  the  water,  through  which  he  could 
,  not  venture. 

The  dogs  planted  themselves  by  the  fire,  gazing  fixedly 
landward,  with  ears  erect,  and  occasionally  uttering  a  barking  t 
challenge,  or  a  suppressed  howl. 

Meantime,  the  horrid  roarings  approached  nearer,  and  I 
concluded  that  a  couple  of  leopards  or  panthers  had  been 
attracted  by  the  scent  of  the  boar's  carcass. 

But  not  long  after  I  had  expressed  this  opinion,  we  beheld 
a  large,  powerful  animal  spring  from  the  underwood,  and,  with 
a  bound,  and  muttered  roar,  approach  the  fire.  In  a  moment 
I  recognized  the  unmistakable  outlines  of  the  form  of  a  lion, 


964  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBIXSOIT. 

though  in  size  he  far  surpassed  any  I  had  ever  seen  exhibited 
in  Europe. 

The  dogs  slunk  behind  the  fire,  and  the  lion  seated  himself 
almost  like  a  cat  on  his  hiud  legs,  glaring  alternately  at  them, 
and  at  the  great  boar  hams  which  hung  near,  with  doubtless 
a  mixed  feeling  of  irritation  and  appetite,  which  was  testified 
by  the  restless  movement  of  his  tail. 

±Z?  then  arose,  and  commenced  walking  up  and  down  with 
slow  and  measured  pace,  occasionally  uttering  short,  angry 
roars,  quite  unlike  the  prolonged,  full  tones  we  had  heard  at 
first. 

At  times  he  went  to  drink  at  the  brook,  always  returning 
with  such  haste,  that  I  fully  expected  to  see  him  spring. 

Gradually  his  manner  became  more  and  more  threatening  ; 
he  turned  toward  us,  crouched,  and  with  his  body  at  full 
stretch,  waved  his  tail,  and  glared  so  furiously,  that  I  was  in 
doubt  whether  to  fire,  or  retreat,  when  through  the  darkness 
rang  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle. 

"  That  is  Fritz  I "  exclaimed  everyone  ;  while,  with  a  fear. 
ful  roar,  the  lion  sprang  to  his  feet,  stood  stock  still,  tottered, 
sank  on  his  knees,  rolled  over,  and  lay  motionless  on  the  sand, 

"  We  are  saved  ! "  I  cried ;  "  that  was  a  masterly  shot. 
The  lion  is  struck  to  the  heart ;  he  will  never  stir  again. 
Stay  on  board,  boys.  I  must  join  my  brave  Fritz." 

In  a  few  moments  I  landed  ;  the  dogs  met  me  with  evident 
tokens  of  pleasure,  but  kept  whining  uneasily,  and  looking 
toward  the  deep  darkness  of  the  woods  whence  the  lion  had 
come. 

This  behavior  made  me  cautious  ;  and,  seeing  nothing  of 
Fritz,  I  lingered  by  the  boat,  when  suddenly  a  lioness  bounded 
from  the  shadow  of  the  trees,  into  the  light  diffused  by  the 
fire. 

At  sight  of  the  blazing  faggots  she  paused,  as  though  startled ; 
passed  with  uncertain  step  round  the  outskirts  of  the  illumi- 
nated circle  ;  and  uttered  roarings,  which  were  evidently  calls 
to  her  mate,  whose  dead  body  she  presently  discovered. 

Finding  him  motionless,  her  manner  betokened  the  greatest 
concern  ;  she  touched  him  with  her  forepaws,  smelt  round  him, 
>uud  licked  his  bleeding  wounds.  Then,  raising  her  head,  she 
{tnashed  her  teeth,  and  gave  forth  the  most  lamentable  and 
dreadful  sound  I  ever  heard  ;  a  mingled  roar  and  howl,  which 
was  like  the  expression  of  grief,  rage,  and  a  vow  to  be  revenged, 
lU  in  one. 

Crack  !  Another  shot :  the  creature's  right  forepaw  WM 


THE  SWISS   FAMILY   EOBINSON.  368 

lamed  ;  and  the  dogs,  seeing  me  raise  my  gun,  suddenly 
gathered  courage,  and  ran  forward  just  as  I  fired.  My  shot 
also  wounded  the  lioness,  but  not  mortally,  and  the  most  terrifie 
combat  ensued. 

It  was  impossible  to  fire  again,  for  fear  of  wounding  the 
dogs.  The  scene  was  fearful  beyond  description.  Black  night 
surrounded  us  ;  the  fitful  blaze  of  the  fire  shed  a  strange,  un- 
natural light  on  the  prostrate  body  of  the  huge  dead  lion,  and 
on  the  wounded  lioness,  who  fought  desperately  against  the 
attack  of  the  four  gallant  dogs ;  while  the  cries,  roars,  and 
groans  of  anguish  and  fury  uttered  by  all  the  animals  were 
ienough  to  try  the  stoutest  nerves. 

Old  Juno,  staunch  to  the  last,  was  foremost  in  the  fray. 
After  a  time,  I  saw  her  change  her  plan  of  attack,  and  spring 
at  the  throat  of  the  lioness  ;  who,  in  an  instant,  raised  her  left 
paw,  and  at  one  blow  the  cruel  claws  had  laid  open  the  body 
of  the  dog,  and  destroyed  the  life  of  the  true  and  faithful  com- 
panion of  so  many  years. 

Just  then  Fritz  appeared.  The  lioness  was  much  weakened, 
and  we  ventured  to  go  near  enough  to  fire  with  safety  to  our- 
selves ;  and  finally  I  dispatched  her  by  plunging  a  hunting- 
knife  deep  in  her  breast 

Ernest  and  Jack  were  summoned  from  the  yacht  to  witness 
the  completed  victory  ;  and  I  regretted  having  left  them  on 
board,  when  I  saw  how  greatly  the  noise  and  tumult  had 
alarmed  them,  unable,  as  they  were,  to  ascertain  what  waa 
going  on. 

They  hastened  toward  us  in  great  agitation,  and  their  joy 
on  seeing  us  safe  was  only  equaled  by  the  grief  they  felt  on 
learning  the  death  of  Juno. 

The  night  was  now  far  advanced  ;  the  fire  burnt  low  ;  but 
we  pi2ed  on  more  wood,  and,  by  the  renewed  light,  drew  poor 
Juno  from  between  the  paws  of  the  lioness  ;  and  by  the  brook- 
side,  washed  and  bound  up  the  torn  body,  wrapping  it  care- 
fully in  canvas,  and  carrying  it  with  us  on  board  the  yacht, 
that  it  might  be  buried  at  Rockburg,  whither  on  the  follow- 
ing day  it  was  our  purpose  to  return. 

Wearied  and  sorrowful,  but  full  of  thankfulness  for  our 
personal  safety,  we  at  length  lay  down  to  sleep,  having  brought 
all  the  dogs  on  board. 

Next  morning,  before  quitting  Pearl  Bay,  we  once  more 
landed,  that  we  might  possess  ourselves  of  the  magnificent 
skins  of  the  lion  and  lioness,  whose  visit,  fatal  to  themselve% 
had  caused  such  a  commotion  during  the  night. 


260  THB    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

In  about  a  couple  of  hours  we  returned  to  the  yacht,  leaw 
ing  the  flayed  carcasses  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  birds  of 
prey  sure  to  be  attracted  to  them. 

"  Homeward  bound,"  sang  out  the  boys,  as  they  cheerily 
weighed  anchor,  and  ^prepared  to  stand  out  to  sea.  I  could 
see,  though  he  did  not  complain,  that  poor  Jack  had  not  recov- 
ered from  the  boar's  rough  treatment,  and  moved  very  stiffly. 

"  You  must  pilot  us  through  the  channel  in  the  reef  this 
time,  Fritz,"  said  I  ;  adding,  in  a  lower  tone,  "  and  then  is  it 
co  be  '  farewell,'  my  son  !  " 

"  Yes,  dear  father — Au  revoir  !  "  returned  he,  brightly,  with 
a  glance  full  of  meaning,  while  he  threw  into  his  canoe  a 
cushion  and  a  fur  cloak. 

"  Thanks,  Fritz  !  but  I'm  going  to  honor  them  with  the  care 
of  my  battered  bones  in  the  yacht  here.  You  are  awfully 
considerate  though,  old  fellow,"  remarked  Jack,  not  for  a 
moment  doubting  that  his  brother  expected  him  to  return,  as 
he  came,  beside  him  in  the  cajack. 

Fritz  laughed,  and  commended  his  decision.  Then  spring- 
ing  into  his  skiff,  he  led  the  way  toward  the  open  sea. 

We  followed,  carefully,  and  soon  passed  the  reef  ;  after 
which  the  boys  were  very  busy  with  the  sails,  putting  the 
vessel  on  the  homeward  course,  when,  waving  his  hand  to  me, 
Fritz  turned  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  quickly  vanished 
behind  the  point,  which  I  afterward  named  Cape  Farewell. 

When  missed  by  his  brothers,  I  said  he  had  a  fancy  to  ex- 
plore more  of  the  coast,  and  if  he  found  it  interesting  he  might, 
instead  of  only  a  few  hours,  remain  absent  for  two  or  three 
days. 

Toward  evening,  we  sailed  into  Safety  Bay. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Juno's  epitaph — Fritz  does  not  appear — We  start  in  search  of  him— A 
cachalot  whale — The  unexpected  appearance  of  a  savage — Fritz  in 
a  dusky  disguise — He  leads  us  to  Fair  Isle,  and  shows  us  the  wonder* 
therein — The  stranger — Fritz  narrates  his  adventures — How  he  saw 
Toucans — Encountered  a  tiger — Lost  Pounce — Found  the  Smoking- 
Rock,  and  Jenny  Montrose — The  history  of  the  stranger — Wolves 
dispute  our  right  to  the  whale — Coco  joins  his  brethren — Jack  and 
Jenny  search  for  the  truant — We  leave  Pearl  Bay — A  hearty  recep- 
tion—A visit  to  Falconhurst— Jack  displays  our  stud — The  rainy 
season  again. 

THE  mother  and  Franz,  though  somewhat  startled  by  the 
unexpected  absence  of  Fritz,  were  delighted  to  see  us  return 
safely,  and  listened  with  eager  interest  to  our  adventures* 


j?HE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

l£y  wife  shuddered,  and  scarcely  suppressed  an  involuntary 
scream  as  she  heard  of  our  desperate  encounter  with  the  lion 
and  his  mate.  Jack's  danger  and  providential  escape,  too, 
made  her  tremble  ;  and  so  pale  did  he  still  look,  that  she  could 
scarcely  believe  he  was  uninjured. 

Tear's  came  into  Franz's  eyes  when  he  heard  of  the  sad 
death  of  poor  old  Juno ;  and  he  inquired  most  tenderly 
whether  her  remains  had  been  brought  back,  that  they  might 
be  interred  near  the  house  which  had  been  her  home  for  sc 
many  years. 

Next  day  he  saw  her  buried  carefully  ;  and  Ernest,  at  his 
request,  produced  an  epitaph,  which  was  inscribed  upon  a 
slab  of  stone  above  her  grave. 

JUNO, 

A'servant  true  lies  here); 
A  faithful  friend, 

A  Dog, 

To  all  most  dear  ; 

Who  met  her  end 

Fighting  right  bravely  in  her  master's  cause. 

The  flesh  of  the  wild  boar  and  the  truffles  were  handed  over 
to  the  mother,  who  received  them  with  delight,  promising  us 
therefrom  many  a  savory  dish.  She  would  fain  have  had  the 
boar's  head  too  ;  but  my  word  was  pledged  to  Ernest  that  it 
should  adorn  his  museum,  and,  though  my  lips  watered  to 
taste  it  baked  in  Hottentot  fashion,  I  would  not  break  my 
promise. 

This  splendid  head,  therefore,  together  with  the  lions'  skins, 
we  carried  to  the  tannery  on  Whale  Island,  where  they  were 
cleaned  and  dressed. 

Five  days  passed,  but  Fritz  still  remained  absent.  I  could 
not  conceal  my  anxiety,  and  at  length  determined  to  follow 
nim.  All  were  delighted  at  the  proposal,  and  even  the 
mother,  when  she  heard  that  we  were  to  sail  in  the  pinnace, 
agreed  to  accompany  us. 

The  boat  was  stored,  and  on  a  bright  morning,  with  a 
favorable  breeze,  we  five,  with  the  dogs,  stepped  aboard,  and 
ran  for  Cape  Minster. 

Our  beautiful  little  yacht  bounded  over  the  water  gaily,  and 
the  bright  sunshine  and  delicious  sea  breeze  put  us  all  in  the 
highest  spirits.  The  entrance  of  the  archway  was  in  sight, 
and  thither  I  was  directing  the  boat's  course.  Suddenly,  right 
ahead,  I  saw  a  dark  and  shadowy  mass  just  below  the  surface 
of  the  water.  "  A  sunken  rock  !  "  1  thought  to  myself,  "  aed 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON. 

yet  it  is  strange  that  I  never  before  noticed  it."  I  put  down 
the  helm  in  a  moment,  but  a  catastrophe  seemed  inevitable. 

We  surged  ahead !  A  slight  shock,  and  all  was  over  I 
The  danger  was  passed  ! 

I  glanced  astern,  to  look  again  at  the  dangerous  spot ;  but 
the  rock  was  gone,  and,  where  but  a  moment  before  I  had  dis- 
tinctly seen  its  great  green  shadow,  I  could  now  see  nothing. 
Before  we  had  recovered  from  our  amazement,  a  shout  from 
Jack  surprised  me. 

"  There  is  another,"  he  exclaimed,  "  to  starboard,  father  1 M 

Sure  enough,  there  lay,  apparently,  another  sunken  rock. 

"  The  rock  is  moving  i "  shouted  Franz  ;  and  a  great  black 
body  emerged  from  the  sea,  while  from  the  upper  extremity 
rushed  a  column  of  water,  which,  with  a  mighty  noise,  rose 
upward,  and  then  fell  like  rain  all  around.  The  mystery  was 
explained  ;  for,  as  the  great  beast  emerged  yet  further  from 
the  water,  I  recognized,  from  its  enormous  size  and  great 
length  of  head,  the  cachalot  whale. 

The  monster  was  apparently  enraged  at  the  way  we  had 
scratched  his  back  ;  for,  retreating  to  a  short  distance,  he  evi- 
dently meditated  a  rush  upon  us. 

Fearful  stories  occurred  to  me  of  the  savage  temper  of  this 
whale,  how  he  has  been  known  to  destroy  boat  after  boat,  and 
even  ships,  and  with  a  feeling  of  desperation  I  sprang  to  one 
of  the  guns.  Jack  leaped  to  the  other,  and  almost  simulta- 
neously we  fired.  Both  shots  apparently  took  effect ;  for  the 
whale,  after  lashing  the  water  violently  for  a  few  seconds, 
plunged  beneath  its  surface,  and  disappeared.  We  kept  a 
sharp  lookout  for  him,  for  I  was  unwilling  to  lose  such  a  valu- 
able prize,  and,  reloading,  stood  toward  the  shore,  in  which 
direction  he  was  apparently  making.  Presently  we  again 
sighted  him  in  shallow  water,  lashing  fearfully  with  his  tail, 
and  dyeing  the  waves  around  him  with  blood.  Approaching 
the  infuriate  animal  as  nearly  as  I  dared,  we  again  fired. 

The  struggles  of  the  whale  seemed  for  a  few  moments  to 
become  even  yet  more  frantic,  and  then,  with  a  quiver  from 
head  to  tail,  he  lay  motionless — dead  ! 

The  boys  were  about  to  raise  the  cry  of  victory,  but  checked 
the  shout  upon  their  very  lips ;  for  darting  behind  a  rock 
they  espied  a  canoe  paddled  by  a  tall  and  muscular  savage, 
who  now  stood  up  in  his  skiff  and  appeared  to  be  examin« 
ing  us  attentively.  Seeing  that  we  were  standing  toward 
him,  the  swarthy  native  seized  his  paddle  and  again  darted 
behind  a  rock.  An  Awful  thought  now  took  possession  at 


THE    SWISS    FAMILY    BOBINSOJT. 

•le.  There  must  be  a  tribe  of  blacks  lurking  on  these  shores, 
and  Fritz  must  have  fallen  into  their  hands.  We,  however, 
I  determined,  should  not  be  easily  taken  ;  and  our  guns  were 
loaded  and  run  out. 

Presently  a  dusky  face  appeared,  peeping  at  us  from  a  lofty 
rock  ;  it  vanished,  and  we  saw  another  peeping  at  us  from 
lower  down.  Then,  again,  the  skiff  put  out  as  though  to 
make  a  further  reconnoiter.  All,  even  Jack,  looked  anxious, 
and  glanced  at  me  for  orders. 

"  Hoist  a  white  flag,"  said  I,  "  and  hand  me  the  speaking* 
trumpet.*' 

I  seized  the  instrument  and  uttered  such  peaceable  words  ill 
the  Malay  language  as  I  could  recall ;  neither  the  flag  nor  my 
words  seemed  to  produce  any  effect,  and  the  savage  was  about 
to  return  to  the  shore. 

Jack  hereupon  lost  patience,  and  in  his  turn  took  up  th« 
trumpet. 

"  Come  here,  you  black  son  of  a  gun,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Come 
on  board  and  make  friends,  or  we'll  blow  you  and  your " 

"  Stop  !  stop  !  you  foolish  boy,"  I  said  ;  "  you  will  but 
alarm  the  man,  with  your  wild  words  and  gestures." 

"  No  !  but,  see,"  he  cried,  "  he  is  paddling  toward  us  !  " 

And  sure  enough  the  canoe  was  rapidly  approaching. 

Presently  a  cry  from  Franz  alarmed  me.  "  Look !  look ! v 
he  shrieked,  "  the  villain  is  in  Fritz's  cajack.  I  can  see  the 
walrus'  head." 

Ernest  alone  remained  unmoved.  He  took  the  speaking* 
trumpet : 

"  Fritz,  ahoy  !  "  he  shouted ;  "  welcome,  old  fellow ! " 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when  I,  too^ 
recognized  the  well-known  face  beneath  its  dusky  dis- 
guise. 

In  another  minute  the  brave  boy  was  on  board,  and  in  spite 
of  his  blackened  face  was  kissed  and  welcomed  heartily.  He 
was  now  assailed  with  a  storm  of  questions  from  all  sides  ; 
u  Where  had  he  been  ?  "  "  What  had  kept  him  so  long,  and 
why  had  he  turned  blackamoor  ?  " 

"The  last  question,"  replied  he,  with  a  smile,  "is  the  only 
one  I  will  now  answer  ;  the  others  shall  be  explained  when  I 
give  a  full  account  of  my  adventures.  Hearing  guns  fired, 
my  mind  was  instantly  filled  with  ideas  of  Malay  pirates,  for 
I  never  dreamed  that  you  could  be  here  in  the  yacht,  so  I 
disguised  myself  as  you  now  see  me,  and  came  forth  to  recon- 
noiter. When  you  addressed  me  in  Malay  you  only  added  t# 


S70  THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

my  terror,  for  it  left  not  a  doubt  in  my  mind  that  you  were 
pirates." 

Having  in  our  turn  described  to  him  our  adventure  with 
the  cachalot  whale,  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  of  a  suitable  spot 
for  the  anchorage  of  the  yacht. 

"  Certainly,"  he  replied,  casting  toward  me  a  glance  full  of 
meaning  ;  "  I  can  lead  you  to  an  island  where  there  is  a 
splendid  anchorage,  and  which  is  itself  well  worth  seeing,  for 
it  contains  all  sorts  of  strange  things."  And  after  removing 
the  stains  from  his  skin,  and  turning  himself  once  more  into  a 
civilized  being,  he  again  sprang  into  his  canoe  and  piloted  us 
to  a  picturesque  little  island  in  the  bay. 

Now  that  there  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  success  of 
Fritz's  expedition,  I  no  longer  hesitated  to  give  to  my  wife 
an  account  of  his  project,  and  to  prepare  her  mind  for  the 
surprise  which  awaited  her.  She  was  greatly  startled,  as  I 
expected,  and  seemed  almost  overcome  with  emotion  at  the 
idea  of  seeing  a  human  being,  and  that  being  one  of  her 
own  sex. 

"  But  why,"  she  asked,  "  did  you  not  tell  me  of  this  at 
first?  "Why  wait  until  the  last  moment  with  such  joyful 
news  ?  " 

"  I  was  unwilling,"  I  replied,  "  to  raise  hopes  which  might 
never  be  realized  :  but  now,  thank  Heaven,  he  has  succeeded, 
and  there  is  no  need  for  concealment." 

The  boys  could  not  at  all  understand  the  evident  air  of 
mystery  and  suppressed  excitement  which  neither  their 
mother,  Fritz,  nor  I  could  entirely  conceal.  They  cast  glances 
of  the  greatest  curiosity  toward  the  island,  and  as  soon  as  the 
sails  were  furled  and  the  anchor  dropped,  they  sprang  eagerly 
ashore.  In  a  body  we  followed  Fritz,  maintaining  perfect 
silence.  Presently  we  emerged  from  the  thicket  through 
which  we  were  passing,  and  saw  before  us  a  hut  of  sheltering 
boughs,  at  the  entrance  of  which  burned  a  cheerful  fire. 

Into  this  leafy  bower  Fritz  dived,  leaving  his  brothers 
jwithout,  mute  with  astonishment.  In  another  moment  he 
lemerged,  leading  by  the  hand  a  slight,  handsome  youth,  by 
his  dress  apparently  a  young  English  naval  officer.  The  pair 
advanced  to  meet  us  ;  and  Fritz,  with  a  countenance  radiant 
with  joy,  briefly  introduced  his  companion  as  Edward  Mont- 
rose. 

"And,"  he  continued,  looking  at  his  mother  and  me,  "will 
you  not  welcome  him  as  a  friend  and  a  brother  to  our  family 
circle  ?* 


THB    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  271 

s. 

"That  will  we,  indeed  ! "  I  exclaimed,  advancing  and  hold* 
ing  out  my  hands  to  the  fair  young  stranger.  "  Our  wild  life 
may  have  roughened  our  looks  and  manners,  but  it  has  not 
hardened  our  hearts,  I  trust." 

The  mother,  too,  embraced  the  seeming  youth  most 
heartily.  The  lads,  and  even  the  dogs,  were  not  behind 
hand  in  testifying  their  gratification  at  the  appearance  of 
their  new  friend — the  former  delighted  at  the  idea  of  a 
fresh  companion,  and  the  latter  won  by  her  sweet  voice  and 
appearance. 

From  the  expression  made  use  of  by  Fritz  I  perceived  that 
the  girl  wished  her  sex  to  remain  unrevealed  to  the  rest  of  the 
party  until  the  mother  could  obtain  for  her  a  costume  more 
suited  to  her  real  character. 

The  young  men  then  ran  down  to  the  yacht  to  bring  up 
what  was  necessary  for  supper,  as  well  as  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  a  camp  in  which  we  might  spend  the  night.  Thia 
done  the  mother  hastened  to  set  before  us  a  substantial  meal, 
while  the  boys,  anxious  to  make  their  new  acquaintance  feel 
at  home  among  them,  were  doing  their  best  to  amuse  her. 
She  herself,  after  the  first  feeling  of  strangeness  had  worn  off, 
entered  fully  into  all  their  fun ;  and  by  the  time  they  sat 
down  to  supper  was  laughing  and  chattering  as  gaily  as  any- 
one of  the  t  rest.  She  admired  the  various  dishes,  tasted  our 
mead,  and,  without  alluding  once  to  her  previous  life,  kept  up 
a  lively  conversation. 

The  mere  fact  of  meeting  with  any  human  being  after  so 
many  years  of  isolation  was  in  itself  sufficient  to  raise  the  boys 
to  the  greatest  state  of  excitement  ;  but  that  this  being  should 
be  one  so  handsome,  so  gay,  so  perfectly  charming,  seemed 
completely  to  have  turned  their  heads  ;  and  when  I  gave  the 
sign  for  breaking  up  of  the  feast,  and  their  new  friend  was 
about  to  be  led  to  the  night  quarters  which  had  been  prepared 
for  her  on  board  the  yacht,  the  health  of  Edward  Montrose 
was  proposed,  and  drank  in  fragrant  mead,  amid  the  cheers 
and  acclamations  of  all  hands. 

When  she  was  gone,  and  silence  had  been  restored,  Jack 
exclaimed : 

"  Now,  then,  Fritz,  if  you  please,  just  tell  me  where  you 
came  across  this  jolly  fellow.  Did  you  take  your  mysterious 
voyage  in  search  cf  him,  or  did  you  meet  him  by  chance  ? 
Out  with  your  adventures,  while  we  sit  comfortably  round 
the  fire." 

So  saying,  Jack  cast  more  wood  upon  the  blazing  pile,  and 


272  THK   SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON. 

throwing  himself  down  in  his  usual,  careless  fashion,  prepared 
to  listen  attentively. 

Fritz,  after  a  few  moments'  hesitation,  began  : 

"  Perhaps  you  remember,"  said  he,  "  how,  when  I  returned 
from  my  expedition  in  the  cajack  the  other  day,  I  struck  down 
an  albatross.  None  but  my  father  at  the  time  knew,  however, 
what  became  of  the  wounded  bird,  or  even  thought  more 
about  it.  Yet  it  was  that  albatross  who  brought  me  notice  of 
the  shipwrecked  stranger  and  he,  too,  I  determined  should 
(tarry  back  a  message,  to  cheer  aud  encourage  the  sender. 

"I  first,  as  you  know,  prepared  my  cajack  to  carry  two 
persons  ;  and  then,  with  a  heart  full  of  hope  and  trust,  left 
you  and  the  yacht,  and,  with  Pounce  seated  before  me,  mada 
for  the  open  sea.  For  several  hours  I  paddled  steadily  on, 
till,  the  wind  freshening,  I  thought  it  advisable  to  keep  in 
nearer  shore  ;  that,  should  a  regular  storm  arise,  I  might  find 
some  sheltered  bay  in  which  to  weather  it. 

"  It  was  well  I  did  so  ;  for,  scarcely  had  I  reached  a  quiet 
cove  which  promised  to  afford  me  the  protection  I  desired 
than  the  sea  appeared  one  mass  of  foam  :  great  surging  waves 
arose ;  and  even  in  the  comparative  calm  of  the  bay  I  felt 
that  I  was  in  some  danger. 

"  I  passed  the  night  in  my  cajack  ;  and  next  morning, 
after  a  frugal  meal  of  pemmican,  and  a  draught  of  water  from 
my  flask,  once  more  ventured  forth.  The  wind  had  subsided, 
and  the  sea  was  tolerably  smooth  ;  and,  keeping  my  eyes  busily 
employed  in  seeking  in  every  direction  to  detect,  if  possible, 
the  slightest  trace  of  smoke,  or  other  sign  of  human  life,  I 
paddled  on  till  noon. 

"  The  aspect  of  the  coast  now  began  to  change  :  the  shores 
were  sandy,  while  further  inland  lay  dense  forests,  from  whose 
gloomy  depths  I  could  ever  and  anon  hear  the  fierce  roar  of 
oeasts  of  prey,  the  yell  of  apes,  the  fiendish  laugh  of  the 
hyena,  or  the  despairing  death  cry  of  a  hapless  deer.  Seldom 
have  I  experienced  a  greater  feeling  of  solitude  than  while 
listening  to  these  strange  sounds,  and  knowing  that  I,  in  this 
frail  canoe,  was  the  only  human  being  near.  Giving  myself 
up  to  contemplation,  I  rested  my  paddle,  and  allowed  my 
eajack  to  drift  slowly  on. 

"  As  I  neared  the  shore,  I  noticed  a  large  number  of  stranger 
looking  birds,  who  would  sometimes  flutter  round  me,  and 
then  dart  back  again  to  the  border  of  the  forest,  where  they 
were  feeding  on  what  appeared  to  be  the  pepper  plant ;  they 
•eized  the  berries  in  their  great,  ponderous  beaks,  threw  them 


THE   SVTISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON.  273 

op  into  the  air,  and  then  dexterously  caught  them  in  their  falL 
Their  beaks  were  really  something  extraordinary :  they  looked  as 
though  they  must  give  their  owners  a  perpetual  headache, 
from  their  immense  weight.  The  only  thing  that  relieved 
the  extreme  ugliness  of  these  great  appendages  was  their 
gorgeous  color,  which  was  only  rivaled  by  the  gay  hue  of  the 
plumage.  I  wished  now  that  I  had  brought  home  a  speci- 
men ;  but  at  the  time  I  was  so  much  amused  by  watching 
the  grotesque  antics  of  the  birds^that  I  did  not  think  of  obtain- 
ing one.  When  I  left  the  spot,  I  settled  in  my  own  mind 
that  they  were  toucans  :  was  I  right,  Ernest  ?  " 

The  Professor,  unwilling  to  interrupt  the  narrative,  merely 
gave  an  oracular  nod,  and  Fritz  continued: 

"  For  some  hours  after  this  I  paddled  quickly  on,  sometimes 
passing  the  mouth  of  a  stream,  sometimes  that  of  a  broad  river. 
Had  I  been  merely  on  an  exploring  expedition,  I  should  have 
been  tempted,  doubtless,  to  cruise  a  little  way  up  one  of  these 
pathways  into  the  forest  ;  but  now  such  an  idea  did  not  enter 
my  head.  On,  on,  on,  I  felt  I  must  go,  until  I  should  reach 
the  goal  of  my  voyage. 

"  The  shades  of  night  at  length  drew  on,  and,  finding  a 
sheltered  cove,  I  moored  my  cajack,  and  stepped  on  shore. 
You  may  imagine  how  pleasant  it  was  to  stretch  my  legs, 
after  sitting  for  so  long  in  the  cramped  position  which  my 
cajack  enforces.  It  would  not  do,  however,  to  sleep  on  shore  ; 
so  after  preparing  and  enjoying  my  supper,  I  returned  on 
board,  and  there  spent  the  night. 

"Next  morning  Pounce  and  I  again  landed  for  breakfast. 
I  lit  my  fire,  and  hung  before  it  a  plump  young  parrot  to  roast. 
As  I  was  so  doing,  I  heard  a  slight  rustle  among  the  long 
grass  behind  me.  I  glanced  round,  and  there,  with  glaring  eyes 
and  his  great  tail  swaying  to  and  fro,  I  saw  an  immense  tiger. 

"  In  another  moment  his  spring  would  have  been  made.  1 
should  have  been  no  more,  and  our  young  guest  would  have 
been  doomed  to,  God  only  knows  how  many,  years  of  frightful 
solitude  ! 

"  My  gun  was  lying  by  my  side.  Before  I  could  have 
stooped  to  pick  it  up,  the  monster  would  have  seized  me. 

"  Pounce  saw  and  comprehended  my  danger  :  the  heroic 
bird  darted  upon  my  enemy,  and  so  blinded  him  with  his  flap- 
ping wings,  and  the  fierce  blows  of  his  beak,  that  his  spring 
was  checked,  and  I  had  time  to  recover  my  self-possession.  I 
seized  my  gun,  and  fired  ;  and  the  brute,  pierced  to  the  heart, 
gave  one  spring,  and  then  rolled  over  at  my  feet. 


J74  THB   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON1. 

"  My  enemy  was  dead  ;  but  beside  him,  alas  !  lay  poor 
Pounce,  crushed  and  lifeless.  One  blow  of  the  great  beast's 
paw  had  struck  him  down,  never  to  rise  again  !  " 

Fritz's  voice  shook  as  he  came  to  this  point  ;  and,  after 
remaining  silent  for  a  moment  or  two,  he  continued  hur- 
riedly : 

"  With  a  sad  and  desolate  feeling  at  my  heart,  I  buried  the 
faithful  bird  where  he  had  met  his  death  ;  and  then,  unable 
longer  to  continue  near  the  spot,  I  returned  to  my  cajack,  and 
leaving  the  great  tiger  lying  where  he  fell,  paddled  hastily 
away. 

"  My  thoughts  were  gloomy.  I  felt  as  though,  now  that 
my  companion  was  gone,  I  could  no  longer  continue  the  voy- 
age. The  albatross,  I  thought,  may  have  flown  for  hundreds 
of  miles  before  it  reached  me.  This  stranger  may  be  on  dif- 
ferent shores  from  these  entirely ;  every  stroke  of  my  paddle 
may  be  carrying  me  further  from  the  blazing  signal  :  who 
knows  ? 

"  This  feeling  of  discouragement  was  not,  however,  to  be  of 
long  duration  ;  for  in  a  moment  more  a  sight  presented  itself, 
which  banished  all  my  doubts  and  fears,  and  raised  me  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  excitement. 

"  A  high  point  of  land  lay  before  me.  I  rounded  it,  and 
beyond  found  a  calm  and  pleasant  bay,  from  whose  curved  and 
thickly  wooded  shores  ran  out  a  reef  of  rocks.  From  the  point 
of  this  reef  rose  a  column  of  smoke,  steadily  and  clearly  curling 
upward  in  the  calm  air.  I  could  scarcely  believe  my  senses,  but 
stopped  gazing  at  it,  as  though  I  were  in  a  dream  ;  then,  with 
throbbing  pulse  and  giddy  brain,  I  seized  my  paddle,  and 
etrained  every  nerve  to  reach  it. 

"  A  few  strokes  seemed  to  carry  me  across  the  bay,  and, 
securing  my  canoe,  I  leaped  upon  the  rock,  on  which  the  bea- 
con was  blazing,  but  not  a  sign  of  a  human  being  could  I  see. 
I  was  about  to  shout,  for  as  the  fire  had  evidently  been 
recently  piled  up,  I  knew  the  stranger  could  not  be  far  of  ; 
but,  before  I  could  do  so,  I  saw  a  slight  figure  passing  along 
the  chain  of  rocks  toward  the  spot  on  which  I  stood.  You 
may  all  imagine  my  sensations. 

"  I  advanced  a  few  paces  ;  and  then  mastering  my  emotion 
as  best  I  could,  I  said  in  English  : 

"  *  Welcome,  fair  stranger  !  God,  in  his  mercy,  has  heard 
your  call,  and  has  sent  me  to  your  aid  !  ' 

"  Miss  Montrose  came  quickly  forward " 

"  Who  ?    What  ?  "  shouted  the  boys,  interrupting  the  nar- 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  BOMNSOW.  875 

rative  ;  "  who  came  forward  ?  "  and  amid  a  general  hubbub, 
Ernest,  rising  and  advancing  to  his  brother,  said  in  his  quiet 
way : 

"  I  did  not  like  to  make  any  remark  till  you  actually  let  out 
the  secret,  Fritz,  but  we  need  no  longer  pretend  not  to  see 
through  the  disguise  of  Edward  Montrose." 

Fritz,  though  much  disconcerted  by  the  discovery  of  the  se« 
cret,  recovered  his  self-possession  ;  and,  after  bearing  with 
perfect  equanimity  the  jokes  with  which  his  brothers  assailed 
him,  joined  in  three  cheers  for  their  new  sister,  and  when  the 
confusion  and  laughter  which  ensued  had  subsided,  continued 
his  story  : 

"  Miss  Montrose  grasped  my  hands  warmly,  and  guessing 
from  my  pronunciation,  I  am  afraid,  that  I  was  not  in  the  habit 
of  speaking  English  every  day  of  my  life,  said  in  French : 

** '  Long,  long,  have  I  waited  since  the  bird  returned  with 
your  message.  Thank  God,  you  have  come  at  last  ! ' 

"  Then,  with  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude,  she  led  me  to  the 
shore,  where  she  had  built  a  hut  and  a  safe  sleeping-place,  like 
Falconhurst  on  a  small  scale,  among  the  branches  of  a  tree. 
I  was  delighted  with  all  she  showed  me,  for  indeed  her  hut 
and  its  fittings  evinced  no  ordinary  skill  and  ingenuity.  Round 
the  walls  hung  bows,  arrows,  lances,  and  bird-snares  ;  while 
on  her  work-table,  in  boxes  and  cases,  carved  skillfully  with  a 
knife,  were  fish-hooks  of  mother-of-pearl,  needles  made  from 
fish-bones,  and  bodkins  from  the  beaks  of  birds,  fishing-lines 
of  all  sorts,  and  knives  and  other  tools.  These  latter  she  told 
me  were,  with  a  chest  of  wearing  apparel,  almost  the  only 
things  washed  ashore  after  the  wreck,  when  three  years  ago 
she  was  cast  alone  upon  this  desolate  coast.  I  marveled  more 
and  more  at  the  wonderful  way  in  which  this  girl  had  sur- 
mounted obstacles,  the  quarter  of  which  would  completely 
have  appalled  the  generality  of  her  sex.  The  hut  itself  was  a 
marvel  of  skill  ;  stout  posts  had  been  driven  into  the  ground, 
with  cross  pieces  of  bamboo,  to  form  a  framework  ;  the  walla 
had  been  woven  with  reeds,  the  roof  thatched  with  palm- 
leaves,  and  the  whole  plastered  smoothly  with  clay,  an  open 
space  being  left  in  the  center  of  thereof  for  a  chimney  to  carry 
off  the  smoke  of  the  fire. 

"  As  we  entered,  a  cormorant,  with  a  cry  of  anger,  flew  from 
under  the  table  toward  me,  and  was  about  to  attack  me 
fiercely.  Miss  Montrose  called  it  off,  and  she  then  told  me 
•he  had  captured  and  tamed  the  bird  soon  after  first  landing, 
and  since  that  time  had  contrived  to  train  it  to  assist  her  is 


276  THE  SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON. 

every  conceivable  way  ;  it  now  not  only  was  a  pleasant  com 
panion,  but  brought  her  food  of  every  description,  fish,  flesh 
and  fowl,  for  whether  it  dived  into  the  waters,  according  to 
its  natural  habit,  struck  down  birds  upon  the  wing,  or  seized 
rabbits  and  other  small  animals  upon  the  land,  it  laid  all  ita 
booty  at  her  feet. 

"  Before  darkness  closed  in,  all  the  curiosities  and  ingen- 
ious contrivances  of  the  place  had  been  displayed — the 
kitchen  stove,  cooking  utensils,  skin  bottles,  shell  plates  and 
spoons,  the  fishing  raft  and  numberless  other  things — and  then, 
Bitting  down  with  my  fair  hostess  to  a  most  appetizing  meal, 
she  gave  me  a  short  account  of  her  Hf  e  : 

"  Jenny  Montrose  was  the  daughter  of  a  British  officer,  who 
had  served  for  many  years  in  India,  where  she  herself  was 
born.  At  the  early  age  of  three  years  she  lost  her  mother. 

"  After  gthe  death  of  his  wife,  all  the  colonel's  love  and 
care  was  centered  upon  his  only  child  ;  under  his  eye  she  was 
instructed  in  all  the  accomplishments  suited  to  her  sex  ;  and 
from  him  she  imbibed  an  ardent  love  of  field  sports.  By  the 
time  she  was  seventeen,  she  was  as  much  at  home  upon  her 
horse  in  the  field  as  in  her  father's  drawing  room.  Colonel 
Montrose  now  received  orders  to  return  home  with  his  regi- 
ment, and  as  for  certain  reasons  he  did  not  wish  her  to  ac- 
company him  in  the  ship  with  the  troops,  he  obtained  a  pas- 
sage f  01  her  on  board  a  vessel  which  was  about  to  sail  at  the 
same  time. 

"The  separation  was  extremely  painful  to  both  the  old 
soldier  and  his  daughter,  but  there  was  no  alternative.  They 
parted,  and  Miss  Montrose  sailed  in  the  Dorcas  for  England. 
A  week  after  she  had  left  Calcutta,  a  storm  arose  and  drove 
the  vessel  far  out  of  her  course  ;  more  bad  weather  ensued  ; 
and  at  length,  leaks  having  been  sprung  in  all  directions,  the 
erew  were  obliged  to  take  to  the  boats.  Jenny  obtained  a 
place  in  one  of  the  largest  of  these.  After  enduring  the  perils 
of  the  sea  for  many  days,  land  was  sighted ;  and,  the  other 
boats  having  disappeared,  an  attempt  was  made  to  land. 
The  boat  was  capsized,  and  Miss  Montrose  alone  reached  the 
shore.  For  a  long  time  she  lay  upon  the  sand  almost  inanimate ; 
but,  reviving  sufficiently  to  move,  she  at  length  obtained  some 
shell-fish,  and  by  degreesrecovered  her  strength.  From  that  time 
forth  until  I  appeared  she  never  set  eyes  upon  a  human  being. 
To  attract  any  passing  vessel,  and  obtain  assistance,  however, 
she  kept  a  beacon  continually  blazing  at  the  end  of  the  reef ; 
and,  with  the  same  purpose  iu  viev*  attached  missives  to  the 


SWISS   FAMILY  BOBINgON.  277 

feet  of  »ny  birds  she  could  take  alive  in  her  snares.  The  alba- 
tross, she  told  me,  she  had  kept  for  some  time,  and  partially 
tamed  ;  but,  as  it  was  in  the  habit  of  making  long  excursions 
on  its  own  account,  she  conceived  the  idea  of  sending  it  also 
\with  a  message,  that,  should  it  by  chance  be  seen  and  taken 
alive,  it  might  return  with  an  answer. 

(  "  Our  supper  was  over,  and,  at  length,  both  wearied  out 
jwith  the  anxieties  and  excitement  of  the  day,  we  retired  to 
irest,  she  to  her  leafy  bower,  and  I  to  sleep  in  the  hut  below. 

"  Next  morning,  having  packed  her  belongings  in  the 
cajack,  we  both  went  on  board  ;  and  bidding  adieu  to  her  well- 
known  bay  she  took  her  seat  before  me,  and  I  made  for  home. 

"  We  should  have  reached  Rockburg  this  evening  had  not 
an  accident  occurred  to  our  skiff  and  compelled  us  to  put  in  at 
this  island.  The  boat  was  scarcely  repaired  when  I  heard 
your  first  shots.  I  instantly  disguised  myself ;  and,  never 
doubting  that  Malay  pirates  were  near,  came  forth  to  recon- 
noiter.  Glad,  indeed,  I  was  to  find  my  fears  ungrounded." 

All  had  listened  attentively  to  Fritz's  story,  but  now  a 
dreadful  yawn  from  Franz,  followed  by  others  from  Jack, 
Ernest,  and  Fritz,  and  a  great  desire  on  my  own  part  to  fol- 
low their  example,  warned  me  that  it  was  time  to  dismiss  the 
Jarty  for  the  night.     Fritz  retired  to  his  cajack,  the  boys  and 
to  the  deck  of  the  yacht,  and  the  remainder  of  the  night 
passed  quietly  away. 

Next  morning,  as  we  assembled  for  breakfast,  I  took  the  op- 
portunity of  begging  Miss  Montrose  no  longer  to  attempt  to 
continue  her  disguise,  but  to  allow  us  to  address  her  in  her 
real  character. 

Jenny  smiled  ;  for  she  had  noticed,  as  the  young  men  met 
her  when  she  came  from  the  cabin,  a  great  alteration  in  their 
manner,  and  had  at  once  seen  that  her  secret  was  guessed. 

"  After  all,"  she  said,  "  I  need  not  be  ashamed  of  this  attire; 
it  has  been  my  only  costume  for  the  last  three  years,  and  in 
any  other  I  should  have  been  unable  to  manage  all  the  work 
which  during  that  time  has  been  necessary." 

Our  pleasant  meal  over,  I  prepared  to  start  for  home,  but 
Fritz  reminded  me  of  the  cachalot,  and  although  he  confessed 
he  should  not  care  to  repeat  the  operation  of  cutting  up  a 
whale,  he  thought  it  would  be  a  pity  to  lose  such  a  chance  of 
obtaining  a  supply  of  spermaceti. 

I  fully  agreed  with  him  ;  and  embarking,  we  quickly 
reached  the  sandbank  on  which  the  monster  lay.  No  sooner 
did  we  come  near,  than  the  dogs  leaped  ashore,  and  before  wo 


278  THE    SWISS   FAMILY   KOBIKSOIf.  v 

could  follow,  rushed  round  to  the  other  side  of  the  great  beast \ 
snarling,  growling,  and  howling  ensued,  and  when  we  reached 
the  spot  we  found  a  terrific  combat  going  on.  A  troop  of 
wolves  were  disputing  fiercely  with  the  dogs  their  right  to  the 
prey.  Our  appearance,  however,  quickly  settled  the  matter ; 
two  of  the  brutes  already  lay  dead,  and  those  that  now  es- 
saped  our  guns  galloped  off.  Among  the  pack  were  a  few 
jackals,  and  no  sooner  did  Coco  catch  sight  of  these,  his  rela- 
tions, than,  suddenly  attracted  by  his  instinct,  he  left  his 
master's  side,  and  in  spite  of  our  shouts  and  cries,  joined  them, 
and  disappeared  into  the  forest. 

As  it  would  have  been  usless  and  dangerous  to  attempt  to 
follow  the  deserter  into  the  woods,  we  left  him  alone,  trusting 
that  he  would  return  before  we  again  embarked.  Fritz  then 
climbed  up  the  mountain  of  flesh,  and  with  his  hatchet  quickly 
laid  open  the  huge  skull ;  Jack  and  Franz  joined  him, — Ernest 
having  remained  on  the  island,  where  we  had  left  the  mother 
and  Jenny, — and  with  buckets  assisted  him  to  bail  out  the 
spermaceti.  The  few  vessels  we  possessed  were  soon  full, 
and  having  stored  them  in  the  yacht,  we  once  more  embarked 
and  arrived  at  the  little  island  shortly  before  the  dinner  hour. 

A  capital  meal  had  been  prepared  for  us,  and,  when  we  had 
made  ourselves  presentable,  we  sat  down  to  it,  and  related 
our  adventures.  The  account  of  Coco's  desertion  was  received 
witK  exclamations  of  surprise  and  sorrow.  "  Yet,"  said 
Jenny,  after  a  time,  "  I  do  not  think  you  should  despair  of  his 
recovery,  for  animals  in  their  native  state  seldom  care  to 
allow  those  that  have  been  once  domesticated  to  consort  with 
them.  My  poor  albatross  even,  though  he  was  never 
thoroughly  tamed,  and  certainly  did  finally  desert  me,  yet  used 
to  return  at  intervals  ;  and  I  am  pretty  sure  that  were  you, 
Jack,  to  search  the  wood  early  to-morrow  morning,  you  would 
find  your  pet  only  too  willing  to  come  back  to  civilized  life ; 
or,  if  you  like,  I  will  go  myself  and  find  him,  for  I  should  im- 
mensely like  to  have  a  paddle  in  the  cajack  all  by  myself."  > 

Jack  was  delighted  at  the  former  suggestion,  and  though 
'ne  would  not  listen  for  a  moment  to  Jenny's  request  to  be 
allowed  to  go  alone,  he  agreed,  if  she  cared  for  the  fun  of  an 
early  cruise,  to  accompany  her  in  the  canoe  next  morning,  and 
to  return  to  the  yacht  in  time  to  start  for  Rockburg. 

At  sunrise  they  were  off,  armed  with  "  bait"  in  the  shape  of 
meat  and  biscuit,  and  a  muzzle  and  chain  which  Jack  had 
manufactured  in  the  evening  to  punish  the  runagate  for  his 
offenses,  should  they  catcia  him.  Arrived  at  the  sandbank, 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOK.  279 

they  landed;  and,  after  entering  the  forest  and  shouting 
"  Coco,  Coco  ! "  till  the  woods  rang  again,  they  presently 
espied  the  truant,  slouching  disconsolately  toward  them,  look- 
ing very  miserable  and  heartily  ashamed  of  himself. 

With  torn  ears,  and  coat  ruffled  and  dirty,  he  sneaked  up. 
There  was  no  need  to  use  the  bait  to  entice  him  ;  and  when 
the  poor  beast  thus  came,  unhappy  and  begging  forgiveness, 
Jack  had  not  the  heart  to  degrade  him  further  with  the  muzzle 
and  chain.  He  had  evidently  attempted  to  join  his  wild 
brethren,  and  by  them  had  been  scouted,  worried,  and  hustled,' 
as  no  true  jackal ;  and,  as  Jenny  had  foretold,  was  now  only 
too  glad  to  return  to  bondage  and  to  comfort. 

Poor  Coco  had  recovered  his  spirits  slightly  by  the  time 
the  yacht  was  reached  ;  and,  after  a  hearty  meal,  again  took 
his  place  among  the  dogs,  whom  I  had  little  doubt  he  weald 
never  again  desert. 

All  was  now  bustle  and  activity  ;  and  breakfast  over,  we 
went  aboard  the  yacht.  Fritz  and  Jack  stepped  into  the 
canoe  ;  and  we  soon  left  Fair  Isle  and  Pearl  Bay  far  behind. 

The  morning  was  delightful.  The  sea,  excepting  for  the 
slight  ripple  raised  by  the  gentle  breeze  wafting  us  home- 
ward, was  perfectly  calm.  Slowly  and  contentedly  we  glided 
on  through  the  wonders  of  the  splendid  archway,  threaded 
our  passage  among  the  rocks  and  shoals,  and  passed  out  to 
the  open  sea.  So  slowly  did  we  make  our  way,  that  the  occu- 
pants of  the  cajack  announced  that  they  could  not  wait  for  us 
when  they  had  once  piloted  us  out  from  among  the  shoals  and 
reefs,  and  plied  their  paddles  to  such  good  purpose  that  they 
were  soon  out  of  sight.  Nautilus  Bay  and  Cape  Pug-Nose 
were  in  due  time  passed,  however,  and  Shark  Island  hove  in 
sight.  With  great  astonishment  Jenny  gazed  at  our  watch 
tower,  with  its  guard-house,  the  fierce-looking  guns,  and  the 
waving  flag  upon  the  heights.  We  landed,  that  she  might 
visit  the  fortification  ;  when  we  displayed  all  our  arrange- 
ments with  great  pride.  When  they  and  the  herd  of  lovely 
gazelles  had  been  sufficiently  admired,  we  again  embarked, 
and  steered  toward  Deliverance  Bay.  On  reaching  the  en- 
trance, a  grand  salute  of  twelve  shots  welcomed  us  and  our 
fair  guest  to  Rockburg.  Not  pleased  with  the  even  number, 
however,  Ernest  insisted  upon  replying  with  thirteen  guns,  an 
odd  number  being,  he  declared,  absolutely  necessary  for  form's 
sake. 

As  we  neared  the  quay,  Fritz  and  Jack  stood  ready  to 
receive  us,  and  with  true  politeness  handed  their  mother  and 


28C  THB    SWISS    FAMILY    EOBINSON. 

Jenny  ashore.  They  turned  and  led  the  way  to  the  house 
through  the  gardens,  orchards,  and  shrubberies  which  lay  on 
the  rising  ground  that  sloped  gently  upward  to  our  dwelling. 

Jenny's  surprise  was  changed  to  wonder  as  she  neared  the 
yilla  itself — its  broad,  shady  balcony,  its  fountains  sparkling 
in  the  sun,  the  dovecots,  the  pigeons  wheeling  above,  and  the 
bright,  fresh  creepers  twined  round  the  columns,  delighted  her. 
She  could  scarcely  believe  that  she  was  still  far  from  any 
•ivilized  nation,  and  that  she  was  among  a  family  wrecked 
like  herself  upon  a  lonely  coast. 

My  amazement,  however,  fully  equaled  that  of  my  little 
daughter  when,  beneath  the  shade  of  the  veranda,  I  saw  a 
table  laid  out  with  a  delicious  luncheon.  All  our  china,  silver, 
and  glass  had  been  called  into  requisition,  and  was  arranged 
upon  the  spotless  damask  cloth. 

Wine  sparkled  in  the  decanters,  splendid  pine-appleg, 
oranges,  guavas,  apples,  and  pears  resting  on  cool  green  leaves, 
lay  heaped  in  pyramids  upon  the  porcelain  dishes.  A  haunch 
of  venison,  cold  fowl,  ham,  and  tongues  occupied  the  ends  and 
sides  of  the  table,  while  in  the  center  rose  a  vase  of  gay 
flowers,  surrounded  by  bowls  of  milk  and  great  jugs  of  mead. 
It  was,  indeed,  a  perfect  feast,  and  the  heartiness  of  the  wel- 
come brought  tears  of  joy  into  the  lovely  eyes  of  the  fair  girl 
in  whose  honor  it  had  been  devised. 

All  were  soon  ready  to  sit  down  ;  and  Jenny,  looking  pret- 
tier than  ever  in  the  dress  for  which  she  had  exchanged  her 
sailor's  suit,  took  the  place  of  honor  between  the  mother  and 
me.  Ernest  and  Franz  also  seated  themselves  ;  but  nothing 
would  induce  Fritz  and  Jack  to  follow  their  example.  They 
considered  themselves  our  entertainers,  and  waited  upon  us 
most  attentively,  carving  the  joints,  filling  our  glasses,  and 
changing  the  plates  ;  for,  as  Jack  declared  to  Miss  Montrose, 
the  servants  had  all  run  away  in  our  absence,  and,  for  the  next 
day  or  two,  perhaps  we  should  be  obliged  to  wait  upon  our- 
selves. 

When  the  banquet  was  over,  and  the  waiters  had  satisfied 
their  appetites,  they  joined  their  brothers,  and  with  them  dis- 
played all  the  wonders  of  Rockburg  to  their  new  sister.  To 
the  house,  cave,  stables,  gardens,  fields  and  boathouses,  to 
one  after  the  other  did  they  lead  her. 

Not  a  corner  would  they  have  left  unnoticed,  had  not  the 
mother,  fearing  they  would  tire  the  poor  girl  out,  come  to  the 
rescue,  and  led  her  back  to  the  house. 

On  the  following  day,  after  an  early  breakfast,  we  started, 


THE    SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  281 

i 

while  it  was  yet  cool,  for  Falconhurst ;  and  as  I  knew  that  re« 
pairs  and  arrangements  for  the  coming  winter  would  be  necea* 
eary,  and  would  detain  us  for  several  days,  we  took  with  us  a 
supply  of  tools,  as  well  as  baskets  of  provisions,  and  other 
things  essential  to  our  comfort. 

The  whole  of  our  stud,  excepting  the  ostrich,  were  in  their 
paddocks  near  the  tree  ;  but  Jack,  saying  that  his  mother  and 
Jenny  really  must  not  walk  the  whole  way,  to  the  great  amuse- 
ment of  the  latter,  leaped  on  Hurry,  and  fled  away  in  front  of 
us.  Before  we  had  accomplished  one  quarter  of  the  distancej 
we  heard  the  thundering  tread  of  many  feet  galloping  down 
ihe  avenue,  and  presently  espied  our  motley  troop  of  steeds 
being  driven  furiously  toward  us.  Storm,  Lightfoot,  Swift, 
Grumble,  Stentor,  Arrow  and  Dart  were  there,  with  Jack,  on 
his  fleet  *wo-legged  courser,  at  their  heels.  At  his  saddle-bow 
hung  a  cluster  of  saddles  and  bridles,  the  bits  all  jangling 
and  clanking,  adding  to  the  din  and  confusion,  and  urging  OH 
the  excited  animals,  who  thoroughly  entered  into  the  fun,  and 
with  tails  in  the  air,  ears  back,  and  heels  ever  and  anon  thrown 
pla3'fully  out,  seemed  about  to  overwhelm  us. 

We  stepped  aside  to  chelter  ourselves  behind  the  trees  from 
the  furious  onset ;  but  a  shout  from  Fritz  brought  the  whole 
herd  to  a  sudden  halt,  and  Jack  spurred  toward  us. 

"Which  of  the  cattle  shall  we  saddle  for  you,  Jenny?"  he 
shouted  ;  "  they're  all  as  gentle  as  lambs,  and  as  active  as  cats. 
Everyone  has  been  ridden  by  mother  ;  and  knows  what  a  side- 
saddle means,  so  you  can't  go  wrong." 

To  his  great  delight,  Jenny  quickly  showed  her  appreciation 
of  the  merits  of  the  steeds  by  picking  out  Dart,  the  fleetest 
and  most  spirited  hi  the  whole  stud. 

The  ostrich  was  then  relieved  of  his  unusual  burden,  the 
animals  were  speedily  equipped,  and  Lightfoot  bearing  the 
baskets  and  hampers,  the  whole  party  mounted  and  trotted 
forward.  Jenny  was  delighted  with  her  palfry,  and  hence- 
forward he  was  reserved  for  her  special  use. 

The  work  at  Falconhurst,  as  I  had  expected,  occupied  us 
for  some  time,  and  it  was  a  week  before  we  could  again  return 
to  Rockburg.  Yet  the  time  passed  pleasantly  ;  for  though  the 
young  men  were  busy  from  morning  to  night,  the  presence  of 
their  new  companion,  her  lively  spirits  and  gay  conversation. 
kept  them  in  constant  good  humor. 

When  the  repairs  were  all  finished,  we  remained  yet  a  day 
or  two  longer,  that  we  might  make  excursions  in  various  di- 
rections to  bring  in  poultry  from  Woodlands,  stores  of  aeony 


383  TBS   SWISS   FAMILY    KOBINSON. 

for  the  pigs,  and  grass,  willows,  and  canes,  to  be  manufao* 
tnred  during  the  winter  into  mats,  baskets,  hurdles,  and 
hencoops. 

Many  a  shower  wetted  us  through  during  these  days,  and 
we  had  scarcely  time  to  hurry  back  to  Rockburg  and  house 
our  cattle  and  possessions  before  the  annual  deluge  began. 

Never  before  had  this  dreary  season  seemed  so  short  and 
pleasant ;  with  Jenny  among  us,  the  usual  feeling  of  weari- 
ness and  discontent  never  appeared  ;  the  English  language 
was  quickly  acquired  by  all  hands,  Fritz,  in  particular,  speak- 
ing it  so  well  that  Jenny  declared  she  could  scarcely  believe 
he  was  not  an  Englishman.  She  herself  already  spoke  French, 
and  therefore  easily  learned  our  native  language  and  spoke  it 
fluently  before  we  were  released  from  our  captivity. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 

Spring  and  Its  accompanying  work — The  mysterious  guns — Who  fired 
them — A  storm — Fritz  and  I  reconnoiter — The  English  brig — W« 
visit  her  in  the  yacht — Captain  Littlestone — We  are  cordially  wet 
corned — Mr.  Wolston  and  his  family — An  earnest  consultation — Our 
visitors  at  Rockburg — The  supper — Who  is  for  Europe  and  who  for 
New  Switzerland  ? — The  decision — Farewell. 

MANY  wondrous  tales  where  told  or  read  in  turn  by  the  boys 
md  Jenny  during  the  long  evenings  aa  we  sat  drawing, 
weaving,  and  plaiting  in  our  cozy  study.  In  fact  this  winter 
"vas  a  truly  happy  time,  and  when  at  length  the  rain  ceased 
and  the  bright  sun  again  smiled  upon  the  face  of  nature,  we 
could  scarcely  believe,  as  we  stepped  forth  and  once  more 
felt  the  balmy  breath  of  spring,  that,  for  so  many  weeks,  we 
had  been  prisoners  within  our  rocky  walls. 

All  was  once  more  activity  and  life  ;  the  duties  in  field, 
garden,  and  orchard  called  forth  the  energy  of  the  lads,  while 
their  mother  and  sister  found  abundant  occupation  in  thf 
poultry  yard  and  house. 

Our  various  settlements  and  stations  required  attention: 
Falconhurst,  Woodlands,  Prospect  Hill,  Shark  and  Whale 
Islands  were  in  turn  visited  and  set  in  order.  The  duty  of  at- 
tending to  the  island  battery  fell  to  Jack  and  Franz. 

They  had  been  busy  all  day  repairing  the  flagstaff,  rehoist* 
ing  the  flag,  and  cleaning  and  putting  into  working  order  the 
«wo  guns. 

Evening  was  drawing  on  and  onr  day's  work  over  ;  the  rest  of 


TBK   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOlf.  283 

us  were  strolling  np  and  down  upon  the  beach,  en  joying  the  cool 
sea  breeze.  They  loaded  and  ran  out  their  guns,  and  paddling 
off  with  an  empty  tub  in  the  cajack,  placed  it  out  at  sea  as  a 
mark  for  practice.  They  returned  and  fired,  and  the  barrel 
flew  in  pieces,  and  then,  with  a  shout  of  triumph,  they  cleaned 
the  guns  and  ran  them  in. 

Scarcely  had  they  done  so  when,  as  though  in  answer  to 
their  shots,  came  the  sound  of  three  guns  booming  across  the 
water  from  the  westward. 

Wo  stopped,  speechless.  Was  it  fancy?  Had  we  really 
aeard  guns  from  a  strange  ship  ?  Or  had  the  boys  again 
firod  ?  No  !  there  were  the  lads  leaping  into  their  canoe  and 
paddling  in  hot  haste  toward  us.  They,  too,  had  heard  the 
sound. 

A  tumult  of  feelings  rushed  over  us— anxiety,  joy,  hope, 
doubt,  each  in  turn  took  posession  of  our  minds.  Was  it  a  Euro- 
pean vessel  close  upon  our  shores,  and  were  we  about  to  be 
linked  once  more  to  civilized  life  ?  Or  did  those  sounds  pro- 
ceed from  a  Malay  pirate,  who  would  rob  and  murder  us  ! 
What  was  to  be  the  result  of  meeting  with  our  fellow  beings; 
were  they  to  be  friends  who  would  help  us,  enemies  who 
would  attack  us,  or  would  they  prove  unfortunate  creatures  in 
need  of  our  assistance  ?  Who  could  tell  ? 

Before  we  could  express  these  thoughts  in  words  the  ca- 
jack had  touched  the  snore,  and  Jack  and  Franz  were  among 
us. 

"  Did  you  hear  them?  Did  you  hear  them?"  they  gasped. 
"What  shall  we  do?  Where  shall  we  go?" 

"O  Fritz,"  continued  my  youngest  son,  "it  must  be  a 
European  ship.  We  shall  find  her.  We  shall  see  our  Father- 
land once  more,"  and  in  an  emotion  of  joy  he  grasped  his 
brother's  hands. 

Till  then  I  knew  not  what  a  craving  for  civilized  life  had 
been  aroused  in  the  two  young  men  by  the  appearance  of  their 
European  sister. 

All  eyes  were  turned  toward  me.     What  would  I  advise? 

"At  present,"  I  said,  "we  can  do  nothing,  for  night  is  draw 
ing  on.  We  must  make  what  preparations  we  can,  and  pray 
for  guidance." 

In  the  greatest  excitement  we  returned  to  the  house,  all 
talking  eagerly,  and  till  late  no  one  could  be  persuaded  to  re- 
tire to  rest. 

Few  slept  that  night.     The  boys  and  I  took  it  in  turn  to 
watch  from  the  ver&nda,  lest  more  signals  might  be  fired, 


284  TELE   SWISS   FAMILY    ROHIN8OHT. 

or  a  hostile  visit  might  he  paid  us.  But  ahout  midnight  the 
wind  hegan  to  rise,  and  before  we  reassembled  to  discuss  our 
plans  a  fearful  storm  was  raging;  so  terrific  was  the  sea  that  I 
knew  no  boat  could  live,  and  had  a  broadside  been  fired  at 
the  entrance  of  the  bay  we  should  not  have  heard  it  through 
the  howling  of  the  blast.  For  two  days  and  two  nights  the 
hurricane  continued,  but  on  the  third  day  the  sun  again  ap- 
peared, and,  the  wind  lulling,  the  sea  went  rapidly  down. 
Full  of  anxiety,  I  readily  complied  with  the  boys'  desire  to 
put  off  to  Shark  Island  and  discharge  the  guns ;  for  who  could 
tell  what  had  been  the  result  of  the  gale ;  perhaps  the  vessel 
had  been  driven  upon  the  rocky  shore,  or,  fearing  such  a  fate, 
she  had  left  the  coast  and  weathered  the  storm  out  at  sea;  if 
so,  she  might  never  return. 

With  these  thoughts  I  accompanied  Jack  and  Franz  to  the 
fort.  One — two — we  fired  the  guns  and  waited. 

For  some  minutes  there  was  no  reply,  and  then  an  answer- 
ing report  rolled  in  the  distance.  There  was  no  longer  room 
for  doubt;  the  strangers  were  still  in  the  vicinity,  and  were 
aware  of  our  presence.  We  waved  the  flag  as  a  signal  to 
those  on  shore  that  all  was  well,  and  quickly  returned.  We 
found  the  whole  family  in  a  state  of  the  greatest  excitement, 
and  I  felt  it  necessary  to  calm  them  down  as  much  as  possible, 
for  neither  could  I  answer  the  questions  with  which  I  was  be- 
sieged, nor  could  I  conceal  the  fact  that  the  visit  of  the  vessel 
might  not  prove  so  advantageous  as  they  expected. 

Fritz  and  I  at  once  prepared  to  make  a  reconnoissance ;  we 
armed  ourselves  with  our  guns,  pistols,  and  cutlasses,  took 
a  spyglass,  seated  ourselves  in  the  cajack,  and  with  a  parting 
entreaty  from  the  mother  to  be  cautious,  paddled  out  of  the 
bay  and  round  the  high  cliffs  on  our  left.  For  nearly  an 
hour  we  advanced  in  the  direction  from  which  the  reports 
of  the  guns  seemed  to  proceed.  Nothing  could  we  see, 
however,  but  the  frowning  rocks  and  cliffs,  and  the  waves 
beating  restlessly  at  their  base.  Cape  Pug-Nose  was  reached, 
and  we  began  to  round  the  bluff  old  point.  In  a  moment  all 
our  doubts  were  dispelled,  and  joy  and  gratitude  to  the  Great 
Giver  of  all  good  filled  our  hearts.  There,  in  the  little  shel- 
tered cove  beyond  the  cape,  her  sails  furled,  and  anchor 
•Cropped,  lay  a  brig  of  war  with  the  English  colors  at  her 
masthead. 

With  the  glass  I  could  discern  figures  upon  the  deck,  and 
upon  the  shore  beyond  several  tents  pitched  under  the  shelter 
of  the  trees,  and  the  smoke  of  fires  rising  among  them.  A» 


THE  SWISS   FA.JTILY   ROBINSON. 

I  handed  the  glass  to  Fritz,  I  felt  a  sudden  misgiving. 
*  What,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  can  this  English  vessel  be  doing 
thus  far  from  the  usual  track  of  ships?"  and  I  called  to  mind 
tales  of  mutinous  crews  who  have  risen  against  their  officers, 
have  chosen  some  such  sheltered  retreat  as  this ;  have  disguised 
the  vessel,  and  then  sailed  forth  to  rob  and  plunder  upon  the 
high  seas. 

Fritz  then  exclaimed:  "I  can  see  the  captain,  father;  he  is 
speaking  to  one  of  the  officers,  and  I  can  see  his  face  quite 
well;  he  is  English,  I  am  certain  he  is  English,  and  the  flag 
speaks  the  truth !"  and  he  put  the  glass  again  in  my  hand  that 
I  might  see  for  myself. 

Still  keeping  under  the  shelter  of  the  cliff,  I  carefully  sur- 
veyed the  vessel.  There  was  no  doubt  that  Fritz  was  right, 
and  my  fears  were  once  more  dispelled ;  all  was  neatness  and 
regularity  on  board ;  the  spotless  decks,  the  burnished  steel  and 
brass,  and  the  air  of  perfect  order  which  pervaded  both  ship  and 
camp,  betokened  that  authority  and  discipline  there  reigned. 
For  some  minutes  longer  we  continued  our  examination  of  the 
scene,  and  then,  satisfied  by  the  appearance  of  the  camp  on 
shore  that  there  was  no  chance  of  the  brig  quitting  the  coast 
for  several  days,  we  resolved  to  return  without  betraying  our 
presence,  for  I  was  unwilling  to  appear  before  these  strangers 
until  we  could  do  so  in  better  form,  and  in  a  manner  more  in 
accordance  with  our  actual  resources. 

We  again  landed  at  Rockburg,  where  our  family  awaited 
our  arrival  in  eager  expectation,  and  as  fully  as  possible 
we  told  them  of  all  we  had  seen.  They  thoroughly  approved 
of  our  caution,  and  even  Jenny,  whose  hopes  had  been  ex- 
cited to  the  highest  pitch  by  our  description  of  the  English 
vessel,  and  who  longed  to  meet  her  countrymen  once  more, 
agreed  to  postpone  the  visit  until  the  following  day,  when, 
having  put  our  yacht  into  good  order,  we  might  pay  our  re- 
spects to  the  captain,  not  as  poor  shipwrecked  creatures  beg* 
ging  assistance,  but  as  lords  and  masters  of  the  land,  seeking 
to  know  for  what  purpose  strangers  were  visiting  the  coast. 

The  rest  of  the  day  was  occupied  in  making  our  prepara- 
tions. Our  dainty  little  craft  was  made  to  look  her  very  best ; 
her  decks  were  scrubbed,  her  brass  guns  burnished,  all  lumber 
removed  and  put  ashore,  and  the  flag  of  England  hoisted  to 
her  peak.  The  mother  overhauled  our  wardrobes,  and  the 
neatest  uniforms  were  put  ready  for  the  boys  and  me,  for 
though  neither  my  wife  nor  Jenny  had  ever  dreamed  of  ap- 
pearing otherwise  than  they  would  have  done  had  they  been  &t 


286  THE   SWISS   FAMILY   BOBINSOW. 

home  among  civilized  people  in  Europe,  yet  we,  accustomed 
daily  to  rough  and  often  even  dirty  work,  had  adopted  just 
that  costume  which  best  suited  our  comfort  and  inclination. 
We  should  indeed  have  surprised  the  smart  man-o'-war's  men, 
had  we  appeared  in  our  great,  shapeless,  wide-brimmed  hats, 
our  linen  coats  and  trousers,  our  broad  leathern  belts  and 
hairy  buskins ;  so  we  nextday  readily  donned  the  more  becom- 
ing costumes. 

At  the  break  of  that  eventful  morn,  when  we  were  destined 
once  more  to  set  our  eyes  upon  our  fellow-men,  and  to  hear 
news  of  the  outer  world,  from  which  for  so  many  years  we 
had  been  exiled,  we  assembled  in  our  little  breakfast  room. 
The  meal  was  eaten  hurriedly  and  almost  in  silence,  for  our 
hearts  were 'too  full,  and  our  minds  too  busily  occupied,  to 
allow  of  any  outward  display  of  excitement.  Fritz  and 
Jack  then  slipped  quietly  out,  and  presently  returned  from 
the  garden  with  baskets  of  the  choicest  fruits  in  fresh  and 
fragrant  profusion,  and  with  these,  as  presents  for  the  strang- 
ers, we  went  on  board  our  yacht. 

The  anchor  was  weighed,  the  sails  set,  and  with  the  canoe 
in  tow  the  little  vessel,  as  though  partaking  of  our  hopes  and 
joyous  expectation,  bounded  merrily  over  the  waters  of  Safety 
Bay,  gave  a  wide  berth  to  the  Reef,  against  whose  frowning 
rocks  the  sea  still  lashed  itself  to  foam,  and  kept  away  for  the 
cove,  where  the  English  ship  unconsciously  awaited  us.  The 
Pugnosed  Cape  was  reached,  and,  to  the  surprise  and  utter 
amazement  of  the  strangers,  we  rounded  the  point  and  brought 
up  within  hail.  Every  eye  on  board  and  on  shore  was  turned 
toward  us,  every  glass  was  produced  and  fixed  upon  our  mo- 
tions ;  for  of  all  the  strange  sights  which  the  gallant  crew  may 
have  looked  for,  such  an  anomaly  as  a  pleasure  yacht,  manned 
by  such  a  party  as  ours,  and  cruising  -upon  this  strange  and 
'inhospitable  shore,  was  the  furthest  from  their  thoughts. 

Fritz  and  I  stepped  into  our  boat  and  pulled  for  the  brig. 
In  another  minute  we  were  upon  her  deck.  The  captain,  with 
the  simple  frankness  of  a  British  seaman,  welcomed  us  cordi- 
ally, and  having  led  us  into  his  cabin,  begged  us  to  ex- 
plain to  what  good  fortune  he  owed  a  visit  from  residents 
upon  a  coast  generally  deemed  uninhabited,  or  the  abode  of  the 
fiercest  savages. 

I  gave  him  an  outline  of  the  history  of  the  wreck,  and  of  our 
sojourn  upon  these  shores,  and  spoke  to  him,  too,  of  Miss  Mon- 
trose,  and  of  the  providential  way  in  which  we  had  been  the 
means  of  rescuing  her  from  her  lonely  position. 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY  ROBINSON.  287" 

"Then,"  said  the  gallant  officer,  rising  and  grasping  Fritz 
T>y  the  hand,  "  let  me  heartily  thank  you  in  my  own  name,  and 
in  that  of  Colonel  Montrose ;  for  it  was  the  hope  of  finding 
some  trace  of  that  brave  girl  that  led  me  to  these  shores.  The 
disappearance  of  the  Dorcas  has  been  a  terrible  blow  to  the 
colonel,  and  yet,  though  for  three  years  no  word  of  her  or 
of  any  of  those  who  sailed  in  her  has  reached  England,  lie  has 
never  entirely  abandoned  all  hope  of  again  hearing  of  his 
daughter.  I  knew  this,  and  a  few  weeks  ago,  when  I  was 
about  to  leave  Sydney  for  the  Cape,  I  found  three  men  who 
declared  themselves  survivors  of  the  Dorcas  and  said  that 
their  boat,  of  four  which  left  the  wreck,  was  the  only  one 
which,  to  their  knowledge,  reached  land  in  safety.  From 
them  I  learned  all  particulars,  and  applying  for  permission  to 
cruise  in  these  latitudes,  I  sailed  in  hopes  of  finding  further 
traces  of  the  unfortunate  crew.  My  efforts  have  been  re- 
warded by  unlooked-for  success." 

Fritz  replied  most  modestly  to  the  praises  which  he  received, 
and  then  the  captain  begged  to  be  introduced  to  my  wife  and 
Miss  Montrose. 

"And,  "he  continued,  "if  it  be  not  contrary  to  your  rules  of 
discipline  for  the  whole  ship's  company  to  be  absent  at  once, 
I  will  now  send  a  boat  for  the  remainder  of  your  party." 

One  of  the  officers  was  accordingly  dispatched  to  the  yacht 
with  a  polite  message,  and  the  mother,  Jenny,  and  the  boys 
were  presently  on  board. 

Our  kind  host  greeted  them  most  warmly,  and  he  and  his 
officers  vied  with  one  another  in  doing  us  honor.  They 
proved,  indeed,  most  pleasant  entertainers,  and  the  time  passed 
rapidly  away.  At  luncheon  the  captain  told  us  that  there 
had  sailed  with  him  from  Sydney  an  invalid  gentleman,  Mr. 
"Wolston,  his  wife,  and  two  daughters;  but  that,  though  the 
sea  voyage  had  been  recommended  on  account  of  his  health,  ye;- 
it  had  not  done  Mr.  Wolston  so  much  good  as  had  been  antici 
pated,  and  he  had  suffered  so  greatly  from  the  effects  of  the 
storm,  which  had  driven  the  Unicorn  into  the  bay  for  repairs, 
that  he  had  been  eager  to  rest  for  a  short  time  on  land. 

We  were  anxious  to  meet  the  family,  and  in  the  afternoon 
it  was  decided  that  we  should  pay  them  a  visit.  Tents  had 
been  pitched  for  their  accommodation  under  the  shady  trees, 
and  when  we  landed  we  found  Mr.  Wolston  seated  by  one  of 
them,  enjoying  the  cool  sea  breeze.  He  and  his  family  were 
delighted  to  see  us,  and  so  much  did  we  enjoy  their  society, 
*feat  evening  found  us  8<»1I  UDOC  the  shore.  It  was  too 


288  THE    SWISS   FAMILY    ROBINSON. 

then  to  return  to  Rockburg,  and  the  captain  kindly  offered 
tents  for  the  accommodation  of  those  who  could  not  find  room 
in  the  yacht.  The  boys  spent  the  night  on  land. 

That  night  I  had  a  long  and  serious  consultation  with  my 
wife,  as  to  whether  or  not  we  really  had  any  well  grounded 
reason  for  wishing  to  return  to  Europe.  It  would  be  childish 
to  undertake  a  voyage  thither  simply  because  an  opportunity 
offered  for  doing  so. 

Neither  knew  to  what  decision  the  feelings  of  the  other  in- 
clined; each  was  afraid  of  expressing  what  might  run  counter 
to  those  feelings ;  but  gradually  it  began  to  appear  that  neither 
entertained  any  strong  wish  to  leave  the  peaceful  island;  and 
finally  we  discovered  that  the  real  wish  which  lay  at  the  bottom 
of  both  our  hearts  was  to  adopt  New  Switzerland  as  thence- 
forward our  home. 

What  can  be  more  delightful  than  to  find  harmony  of  opin- 
ion in  those  we  love,  when  a  great  and  momentous  decision 
has  to  be  taken? 

My  dear  wife  assured  me  that  she  desired  nothing  more 
earnestly  than  to  spend  the  rest  of  her  days  in  a  place  to  which 
she  had  become  so  much  attached,  provided  I,  and  at  least 
two  of  her  sons,  also  wished  to  remain. 

From  the  other  two  she  would  willingly  part,  if  they  chose 
to  return  to  Europe,  with  the  understanding  that  they  must 
endeavor  to  send  out  emigrants  of  a  good  class  to  join  us,  and 
form  a  prosperous  colony,  adding  that  she  thought  the  island 
ought  to  continue  to  bear  the  name  of  our  native  country, 
even  if  inhabited  in  future  time  by  colonists  from  England, 
as  well  as  from  Switzerland. 

I  heartily  approved  of  this  excellent  idea,  and  we  agreed  to 
mention  it,  while  consulting  with  Captain  Littlestone  on  the 
subject  of  placing  the  island  under  the  protection  of  Great 
Britain. 

Then  came  the  question  as  to  which  of  our  sons  were  best 
suited  to  remain  with  us,  and  which  to  go  away. 

This  point  we  left  undecided,  thinking  that  in  the  course  of 
a  few  days  they  would  probably  make  a  choice  of  their  own 
accord,  which  they  did,  even  sooner  than  we  anticipated. 

After  breakfast,  it  was  proposed  that  Captain  Littlestone 
should  bring  his  ship  round  to  Safety  Bay,  that  we  might  re- 
ceive a  visit  from  him  and  his  party,  at  Rockburg — where  we 
invited  the  invalid,  Mr.  Wolston,  and  his  family,  in  hopes  that 
his  health  might  benefit  by  a  comfortable  residence  on  shore. 

No  sooner  was  this  plan  adonted.  than  Fritz  and  Jack  hur- 


THE   SWISS   FAMILY   ROBINSON.  289 

ried  off  in  the  canoe  to  prepare  for  their  reception,  being  fol- 
lowed in  more  leisurely  style  by  the  brig  and  our  yacht. 

But  what  words  can  express  the  amazement  of  our  guests, 
when,  rounding  the  Rocky  Cape  at  the  entrance,  Safety  Bay, 
the  beautiful  domain  of  Rockburg  lay  before  them. 

Still  greater  was  their  astonishment,  as  a  salute  of  eleven 
guns  boomed  from  the  battery  on  Shark  Island,  where  the  royal! 
standard  of  England  was  displayed  and  floated  majestically' 
on  the  morning  breeze. 

A  glow  of  surprise  and  pleasure  beamed  on  every  counte- 
nance, and  poor  Wolston's  spirits  appeared  to  revive  with  the 
very  idea  of  peace  and  happiness  to  be  enjoyed  in  such  a 
home. 

He  was  carried  on  shore  with  the  utmost  care  and  tender- 
ness, and  comfortably  established  in  my  room,  a  camp-bed  for 
Mrs.  Wblston  being  added  to  the  furniture  there,  that  she 
might  be  able  conveniently  to  attend  on  her  husband. 

Meantime  the  scene  at  the  harbor  and  all  round  Rockburg 
was  of  the  liveliest  decription;  merriment  and  excitement 
prevailed  in  all  directions,  as  the  beauties  and  wonders  of 
our  residence  were  explored,  so  that  a  summons  to  dinner 
scarcely  attracted  notice. 

However,  as  a  visit  to  Falconhurst  was  projected,  the  com- 
pany was  at  length  induced  to  be  seated,  and  to  partake  of  our 
good  cheer,  but  the  spirit  of  restlessness  soon  returned,and  the 
young  people  kept  roaming  about  through  our  hitherto  quiet 
lawns,  avenues,  and  shrubberies,  until  I  was  ready  to  believe 
their  number  three  times  what  it  actually  was. 

Toward  evening  the  universal  excitement  began  to  abate, 
and  the  party  assembled  for  supper  with  tolerable  compo- 
sure. 

Mr.  Wolston  was  able  to  join  us,  as  the  rest  he  had  enjoyed, 
Mid  the  pleasure  inspired  by  the  hope  of  a  residence  among  ug, 
'seemed  to  have  given  him  new  life.  This  wish  he  now  dis- 
iinctly  expressed  in  his  own  name,  and  in  that  of  his  wife; 
(inquiring  what  our  intentions  were,  and  proposing,  if  agreeable 
to  us,  that  they,  with  their  eldest  daughter,  whose  health,  like 
his  own,  was  delicate,  should  make  a  long  stay  on  the  island, 
while  the  younger  daughter  went  for  the  present  to  her  brother 
at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

In  the  event  of  his  ultimately  deciding  to  settle  altogether 
among  us,  Mr.  Wolston  would  propose  that  his  son  should 
leave  the  Cape,  and  join  our  colony. 

With  sincere  satisfaction  I  welcomed  this  proposal,  saying 


290  THE   SWISS   FAMILY  BOBFNSOIT. 

that  it  was  my  wish  and  that  of  my  wife  to  remain  for  the  refct 
of  our  days  in  New  Switzerland. 

"  Hurrah  for  New  Switzerland !" 

"New  Switzerland  forever!"  shouted  the  whole  company 
enthusiastically,  as  they  raised  their  glasses,  and  made  them 
touch  with  a  musical  ring,  which  so  expressively  denotes  a 
joyful  unanimity  of  sentiment. 

" Prosperity  to  New  Switzerland:  long  may  she  flourish;" 
echoed  on  all  sides. 

"Long  life  and  happiness  to  those  who  make  New  Switzer 
land  their  home !"  added  Ernest,  to  my  great  surprise,  leaning 
forward  as  he  spoke,  to  ring  his  glass  with  mine,  his  mother's, 
and  Mr.  Wolston's. 

"  Won't  somebody  wish  long  life  and  prosperity  to  those 
who  go  away?"  inquired  Jenny,  with  a  pretty,  arch  look. 
"  Much  as  I  long  to  return  to  England  and  my  father,  my  in- 
clination will  waver  if  all  the  cheers  are  for  New  Switzerland !" 

"Three  cheers  for  England  and  Colonel  Montrose,"  cried 
Fritz ;  "  success  and  happiness  to  us  who  return  to  Europe !" 
and  while  the  vaulted  roofs  rang  with  the  cheering  elicited 
by  this  toast,  a  glance  from  Jenny  showed  him  how  much  she 
thanked  him  for  appreciating  her  wish,  to  return  to  her  father, 
notwithstanding  her  attachment  to  our  family. 

"Well,"  said  I,  when  silence  was  restored,  "since  Fritz  re- 
solves to  go  to  England,  he  must  undertake  for  me  the  duty  of 
ringing  happiness  to  a  mourning  father  by  restoring  to  him 
this  dear  daughter,  whom  I  have  been  ready  to  regard  as  my 
own,  by  right  of  her  cast  on  the  shores  of  my  island. 

"  Ernest  chooses  to  remain  vrith  me.  His  mother  and  I  re- 
joice heartily  in  this  decision,  and  promise  him  all  the  highest 
scientific  appointments  in  our  power  to  bestow. 

"  And  now  what  is  Jack's  choice  ?  The  only  talent  I  can 
say  he  possesses  is  that  of  a  comic  actor,  and  to  shine  on  the 
stage  he  must  needs  go  to  Europe." 

"  Jack  is  not  going  to  Europe,  however,"  was  his  reply. 
^'He  means  to  stay  here,  and  when  Fritz  is  gone  he  will  be 
the  best  rider  and  the  best  shot  in  New  Switzerland,  which  is 
the  summit  of  his  ambition. 

"  The  fact  is,"  he  continued,  laughing,  "  I  rather  stand  in 
awe  of  their  European  schools,  and  should  expect  to  find  my- 
self caught  and  clapped  into  one  if  I  ventured  too  near  them." 

"A  good  school  is  exactly  what  I  want,"  said  Franz. 
"  Among  a  number  of  students  there  is  some  emulation  and 
enthusiasm,  and  I  shall  have  »  chance  of  rising  in  the  world." 


THE   SWISS  FAMILY   ROBINSON.  291 

"Fritz  will  probably  return  here  some  day  ;  but  it  might 
be  well  for  one  member  of  the  family  to  go  home  with  the 
intention  of  remaining  there  altogether,  and  as  1  am  the 
youngest  I  could  more  easily  than  the  rest  adapt  myself  to 
a  different  life.  My  father,  however,  will  decide  for  me." 

"  You  may  go,  my  dear  son,"  I  replied  ;  "  and  God  bless  all 
our  plans  and  resolutions.  The  whole  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and 
where,  as  in  his  sight,  you  lead  good  and  useful  lives,  there  is 
your  home. 

"  And  now  that  I  know  your  wishes,  the  only  question  is 
whether  Captain  Littlestone  will  kindly  enable  you  to  carry 
them  out  ?  " 

All  eyes  were  fixed  eagerly  upon  him,  and  after  a  moment's 
pause  the  gallant  officer  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  I  think  my  way  in  this  matter  is  perfectly  clear,  and  I 
consider  that  I  have  been  providentially  guided  to  be  the 
means  of  once  more  placing  this  family  in  communication 
with  their  friends  and  with  the  civilized  world. 

"  My  orders  were  to  search  for  a  shipwrecked  crew. 

"  Survivors  from  two  wrecks  have  been  discovered. 

"  Three  passengers  express  a  wish  to  leave  my  ship  here, 
instead  of  at  the  Cape,  while,  at  the  same  time,  I  am  requested 
to  give  to  three  persons  a  passage  to  England. 

"  Could  anything  suit  better  ?  I  am  most  willing  to  under- 
take the  charge  of  those  who  may  be  committed  to  my  care. 

"Every  circumstance  has  been  wonderfully  ordered  and 
linked  together  by  Divine  Providence,  and  if  England  gains 
a  prosperous  and  happy  colony,  it  will  prove  a  fitting  clasp  to 
this  fortunate  chain  of  events.  Three  cheers  for  New  Switzer- 
land! " 

Deep  emotion  stirred  every  heart  as  the  party  separated  for 
the  night.  Many  felt  that  they  were  suddenly  standing  on 
the  threshold  of  a  new  life,  while,  for  myself,  a  weight  was 
rolled  from  my  heart,  and  I  thanked  God  that  a  difficulty  was 
solved  which,  for  years,  had  oppressed  me  with  anxiety. 

After  this  nothing  was  thought  of  but  making  preparations 
lor  the  departure  of  the  dear  ones  bound  for  England.  Cap- 
tain Littlestone  allowed  as  much  time  as  he  could  spare  ;  but 
it  was  necessarily  short,  so  that  incessant  movement  and 
industry  pervaded  the  settlement  for  several  days. 

Everything  was  provided  and  packed  up  that  could  in  any 
way  add  to  our  children's  comfort  on  the  voyage,  or  benefit 
them  after  their  arrival  in  England,  and  a  large  share  of  my 
posessions  in  pearls,  corals,  furs,  spices,  and  other  valuables 


292  THE    SWISS    fAMILY    ROBINSON. 

would  enable  them  to  take  a  good  position  in  the  world  of 
commerce. 

I  committed  to  their  care  private  papers,  money,  and  jewels 
which  I  knew  to  have  been  the  personal  property  of  the  cap- 
tain of  our  ill-fated  ship,  desiring  them  to  hand  them  over,  if 
possible,  to  his  heirs.  A  short  account  of  the  wreck,  with  the 
names  of  the  crew,  a  list  of  which  I  had  found,  was  given  to 
Captain  Littlestone. 

Fritz,  having  previously  made  known  to  me,  what  indeed 
was  very  evident,  the  attachment  between  himself  and  Jenny, 
I  advised  him  to  mention  it  to  Colonel  Montrose  as  soon  as 
possible  after  being  introduced  to  him,  and  ask  for  his  sanc- 
tion to  their  engagement.  I,  on  my  part,  gladly  bestowing 
mine,  as  did  his  mother,  who  loved  the  sweet  girl  dearly,  and 
heartily  grieved  to  part  with  her. 

On  the  evening  before  our  separation,  I  gave  to  Fritz  the 
journal  in  which,  ever  since  the  shipwreck,  I  had  chronicled 
the  events  of  our  life,  desiring  that  the  story  might  be  printed 
and  published. 

"  It  was  written,  as  you  well  know,"  said  I,  "  for  the  instruc- 
tion and  amusement  of  my  children,  but  it  is  very  possible 
that  it  may  be  useful  to  other  young  people,  more  especially  to 
boys. 

"Children  are,  on  the  whole,  very  much  alike  everywhere, 
and  you  four  lads  fairly  represent  multitudes,  who  are  grow- 
ing up  in  all  directions.  It  will  make  me  happy  to  think  that 
my  simple  narrative  may  lead  some  of  these  to  observe  how 
blessed  are  the  results  of  patient  continuance  in  well-doing, 
what  benefits  arise  from  the  thoughtful  application  of  knowl- 
edge and  science,  and  how  good  and  pleasant  a  thing  it  is 
When  brethren  dwell  together  in  unity,  under  the  eye  of 
parental  love." 

Night  has  closed  around  me. 

,  For  the  last  time  my  united  family  slumbers  beneath  my 
care. 

To-morrow  this  closing  chapter  of  my  journal  will  pass  into 
the  hands  of  my  eldest  son. 

From  afar  I  greet  thee,  Europe  ! 

I  greet  thee,  dear  old  Switzerland  ! 

Like  thee,  may  New  Switzerland  flourish  and  prosper— good, 
happy,  and  free  1 


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